PSA: You Should Always Backup Your Data Multiple Ways
From business-critical information to valuable digital music downloads and photos, we now save all kinds of data. Unfortunately, people often fail to put much thought into backing up this information until disaster strikes and it’s too late. This can cause them to lose data with both sentimental and economic value, and in certain cases, it can even contribute to the failure of entire companies.
A range of risks
There are a whole range of dangers lurking in the background that can destroy data at any time. Physical threats that can affect homes and businesses include floods, fires and thefts. Meanwhile, computers are also vulnerable to corruption. User error is a danger too. All too often, people accidentally overwrite or delete data, sometimes never to see it again.
Know your options
If you want to avoid the stress and frustration, not to mention the potential expense, of losing important information, you’ll need to consider your data storage options carefully. Just bear in mind, though, that there’s no ‘right answer’ when it comes to backing up information. After all, people have different priorities and the amounts and types of data they want to protect can vary dramatically too. At one end of the spectrum, individuals or organizations can require failsafe systems where everything is backed up constantly. At the other extreme, people may simply want to make sure they have copies of some family photos or a few important documents.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure which options are best for you. By taking advantage of a data storage buying guide, you should find it easy to identify a suitable solution. Popular options include external hard drivers, USB flash drives and DVD and CD writers. Meanwhile, network-attached storage solutions are also worth investigating. These systems provide data storage and sharing abilities across a local network.
Online backup via the cloud is now hugely popular too. I personally recommend CrashPlan. Put simply, this remote storage option provides you with the opportunity to save information to remote backup servers which can be extremely useful if disaster strikes at home.
In terms of what’s best, the answer isn’t necessarily what devices you have or what online backup service you use, but rather it is about making sure you have multiple backup solutions. I’m typically not a fan of redundancy in every day life but when it comes to my data — you can bet I have multiple backups of it. That’s the name of the game when it comes to data you don’t want to lose. So you should definitely consider investing in a good local backup system and a good online backup service provider.
That being said, before you invest in any of these solutions, think carefully about your precise needs and how much you’re prepared to spend as well as what you would be willing to lose (if anything). Lots of online backup services offer unlimited backups for a fair price. And storage costs have come down significantly in recent years so getting a big backup drive is much more affordable than in the past.
Bottom line is as long as you recognize the need for backups and take the time to research and invest in a solution you will have a lot more peace of mind when it comes to making sure you don’t lose your music, movies, photos, documents, and any other data you store on your devices.