photo studio disc image scheme help

So I got a new Sony laptop, sony has software that walks you through 'what you should do' - so I followed it's steps and created a recovery disc and back up ... last week my laptop started at the windows recovery screen - no recovery steps worked (details stated a bug in the windows system) - so i restored and got a brand new windows. The back up - I now know - wasn't the system but the data files - so no disc image. It is a pain to reinstall all my programs and such - so lesson learned.

I have a photo studio - I now realize disc images on the computers would save a heap of headache and production time lost, so I am looking for suggestions on a good or best solution

Here is our set up ...
- 1 new windows 7 connected to 10 eSata 2TB drive bays
- 4 windows xp machines
The eSata drives ...
- 1 for active session images shared on the network
- 1 for back up of active session images (rotate 2 drives between studio and home)
- 1 for achived session images (all orders delivered) shared on the network
- 1 for back up of archived session images (rotate 2 drives between studio and home)
- once the archive drive is filled sessions get moved to an archive pair, one at studio and one at home

We use SyncBack in mirror mode for our active sessions and archives back up drives

The free bays in the disc array are for our Lightroom catalog back ups and the image back ups of the 5 computers in the studio

Ideally I want a program that can back up a disc image of each of the 5 machines to the 2TB eSata drives - that I can swap between home and work.

Second choice would be backing up a disc image to the same drives - and then using SyncBack to sync to drives that I swap from home to work ... if the disc image program doesn't like seeing it's backed up network drive disappear and then reappear with it's back up set in a different state.

I really want something that is fairly easy to use / restore as my business partner is not a techie, so to be able to manage this easily if I am off on vacation or retired ... someday ... I don't really care whether the program is installed on all 5 computers or the windows 7 machine only ...

Hopefully this makes sense ... all help is very much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

I have been testing and have it narrowed down to ShadowProtect and O&O disk image.

We don't need ...
- overly complicated - we are not IT pros supporting a network of workstations / server environment
- real time backup, our important work is our client photos, and our studio documents - they are all on network shared drives, a backup is taken home each evening.

We do need ...
- the one that is the most reliable with the least set up
- be able to roll back machines to a known 'good state', but that can be weeks back and we haven't lost anything

Price is only a factor ...
- if we are wasting money for what we need, both initially and in future upgrades.

My impressions ...
- I am feeling like ShadowProtect is more likely to automatically keep us up to date.
-O&O is an appropriate cost and is simpler to learn and reliable enough. If I forget to check O&O to validate the back up we could be in trouble ... I have 5 computers to maintain.

I would really appreciate feedback as to whether I am off base. I would hate buying one, putting in systems and then changing down the road.

Thanks!
Roger