IMAP with Outlook to backup Gmail?

[drjones]

Because I'm in IT and paranoid, I use MailStore to backup my Gmail account, but also wanted to configure Outlook 2010 to download an extra copy of my gmail messages into a .PST

Is it best to use IMAP or POP?

I'd prefer to use IMAP because it will sync all my folders, sent items, etc.....

Will IMAP work OK as an additional backup for my Gmail account?

Thanks!

 

[glricht]

Assuming that Gmail contains the master copy of all your email, IMAP is really your only option. By default, POP will MOVE the email from Gmail into your PST (plus only the inbox folder is loaded). There are ways to have POP keep a copy of the moved email on the server, but IMAP is the better choice.

 

[Mainstay]

what do you mean by "backup"?

If you are backing up your gmail PST file to another location (Acronis or Macrium to an external drive or an offsite location (backblaze)), then you have a backup.

If you mean the PST file which is synced with your Gmail account is your backup, no, that isn't a backup. That is a file that is synced with your online account (which, paranoid you may be, could "disappear" without notice).

EDIT: well, let's say GMail went away, you DO have a local copy, but it would synchronize with a what? blank system? so it could erase your local copy? If you had no internet, you would still have your local PST, which could be readily restored.

I am ignoring the fact that you have taken precautions with your Mailstore...


(we transfer all of our GMail email to our hosted exchange account on a monthly basis, and ALL of it get's backed up continuously to an offsite location + bi-weekly to a local NAS... never had to invoke it, but the risk far out weighs the cost).

 

[altrenda]

I also like having a local copy of my messages. But since it's more likely that Outlook will fail and lose your messages than Gmail will, I use Postbox, which works much better than Outlook with Gmail. Since my computer backs up regularly, all my messages get backed up as well.

Since most people are looking for free, you could also do the same thing with Thunderbird.

 

[drjones]

Assuming that Gmail contains the master copy of all your email, IMAP is really your only option. By default, POP will MOVE the email from Gmail into your PST (plus only the inbox folder is loaded). There are ways to have POP keep a copy of the moved email on the server, but IMAP is the better choice.

I think so, but there's definitely also the option both in Gmail & Outlook to leave a copy of POP-ed emails on the server.

 

[drjones]

what do you mean by "backup"?

If you are backing up your gmail PST file to another location (Acronis or Macrium to an external drive or an offsite location (backblaze)), then you have a backup.

If you mean the PST file which is synced with your Gmail account is your backup, no, that isn't a backup. That is a file that is synced with your online account (which, paranoid you may be, could "disappear" without notice).

EDIT: well, let's say GMail went away, you DO have a local copy, but it would synchronize with a what? blank system? so it could erase your local copy? If you had no internet, you would still have your local PST, which could be readily restored.

I am ignoring the fact that you have taken precautions with your Mailstore...


(we transfer all of our GMail email to our hosted exchange account on a monthly basis, and ALL of it get's backed up continuously to an offsite location + bi-weekly to a local NAS... never had to invoke it, but the risk far out weighs the cost).

I open up MailStore, and plan on opening up Outlook, about once a week to sync / backup my Gmail.
Since outlook will NOT be constantly running, it should also serve as a layer of protection against catastrophe....right?

And yes, not only do I backup gmail into MailStore + now Outlook, but I backup those repositories too....redundancy, redundancy, redundancy...