For ensuring data protection against local natural disasters and hardware failures, the best approach is to use an off-site solution that provides redundancy and is resilient to local disruptions.
* Using an agent-based cloud backup solution: This method involves backing up data to a remote cloud server, providing protection against local disasters like floods, fires, or hardware failures since the data is stored off-site and can be accessed from anywhere.
* Implementing a grandfather-father-son backup rotation: While effective for managing local backups, this method typically involves physical media which could still be vulnerable to local disasters.
* Automating backups to a local network share: This keeps the backups within the same physical location, making them susceptible to local disasters.
* Saving files manually to an external drive: This method is prone to human error and doesn't provide automated or off-site protection.
Reference: CompTIA A+ Exam Objectives [220-1102] - 4.3: Given a scenario, implement workstation backup and recovery methods.