HOT backup your Outlook data securely and automatically with TrueCrypt

[Update: Here is a LifeHacker commentary on this article ]

The need

Here is a small tutorial on How you can safely backup your Outlook data on to a USB Drive. Most of us who work in corporate environment obviously have our years of communications and documents captured in .PST files. Microsoft Outlook’s PST file format is proprietary but serves as a portable archival data format. You can make backups of your old .PST files by simply dragging and dropping on to the target media. Or use a professional backup tool like SyncBackSE or Microsoft Personal folders backup .

The Issues

You cannot backup your .PST file while it is opened by Outlook. Most of the time this is the case as Outlook locks the respective .PST file. Your backup utilities will fail to backup your current Live Outlook data as long as Outlook is kept opened. This also does not allow us to further automatically schedule .PST backup too.

The Solution

The simplest solution is to instruct Outlook to simultaneously keep a copy of the incoming emails in a separate .PST file created in the external storage device. Even though you can password protect your .PST files , for additional security , you are better off creating a Secure & Encrypted Drive inside your external storage device.

Tools Required

TrueCrypt is my choice for a platform independent data security software. It is free, Open Source and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux with excellent speed and robustness. It has some of the performing yet strong encryption algorithm support. The user interface is very convenient too. It has the capability to make an entire drive encrypted or keep a huge encrypted file on any drive to be further treated as a virtual drive. I follow the later approach.

How-To

1) Create an encrypted volume within your USB Drive / External storage Device

2. Goto Volume->Save currently mounted volume as favourite menu item.

3. Goto Settings->Preferences->Check the [Start TrueCrypt] and [Mount Favourite Volume] items.

4. Create a .PST inside this volume using the Mail-Setup tools within Windows Control Panel.

5. Open this additional .PST file too in Outlook

6. Set an Outlook Rule to make a copy of the incoming email to this .PST file

Outlook - Tools->Rules and Alerts->New Rule->Rules Wizard->Start from a Blank Rule->Check Messages when they arrive->Check [On this Machine Only] , [Through the specified account = Select Exchange Server] -> Next -> Move a copy to the specified Folder( and select our new PST file’s folder).

Also make sure that this rule is the top of the other rules in the list.

7. Set an Outlook Rule to make a copy of the Outgoing email to this .PST file

Outlook - Tools->Rules and Alerts->New Rule->Rules Wizard->Start from a Blank Rule->Check Messages after it is sent->Check [On this Machine Only] , [Through the specified account = Select Exchange Server] -> Next -> Move a copy to the specified Folder( and select our new PST file’s folder).

Success :) Now you have all your incoming and outgoing emails backed up automatically and securely on the USB media. You have this backup copy of your email without you making any conscious effort.

Disadvantage

The only disadvantage with this method is that you will have to keep your USB drive connected all the time while you are working with Outlook. I think that is a reasonable tradeoff between convenience and security.