The Networker server software resides on a server, which backups up each system overnight, automatically tracking incrementals etc. This may be viewed as a 'Rolls Royce' solution, assuming that sufficient resources are available to make it practical. Mirror certain data from client computers to servers, and then backup just the servers using an approach similar to the above. There are exceptions to this, and it is important to keep copies of the registry, the user profiles, and configuration files for software applications. These tend to be small files in comparison to the 'bloatware' to which they pertain.
Data is much more valuable than the replaceable applications which generate it.
Recent tests suggest that a typical academic will have less than 500 Mb of data on their 6 GB disk, and secretarial staff tend to have considerably less. They have all but abandoned it because of the cost and complexity. With 100's of staff within the Faculty, a Unix server would need to be purchased to handle the load. A single DAT drive would not be sufficient, and so a jukebox system would be required. Computer Science has just purchased a computer with 100's of gigabytes of disk storage.