Importance of Backing Up Your Data
It’s probably safe to say that we have all been in the horrible predicament of writing a paper or in the middle of big project on the computer when all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, it’s lost. Hours of work just vanishes into thin air. Oh the agony, panic, and frustration! If this situation is enough to put you into a rage, can you imagine losing everything saved on your PC’s hard drive? A certified PC expert has said, “There are two types of hard drives – ones that have failed and ones that will fail.” It is not a matter of if, but when!
Backing up your data is the most important, but most neglected areas of computing. Without data backup and virus protection, you are setting yourself up for failure. Loss of data can be a result of a power failure or surge, virus, or the hard drive dies gradually or suddenly. Just think for a minute what files you would lose. Photos and home videos, power point projects, saved documents, children’s schoolwork, contact lists, email addresses, bookmarks, music, tax returns, work spreadsheets or presentations? Many vendors are now going paperless so most of us also have bank statements and bills downloaded.
Some small businesses and individuals do keep an external hard drive which is actually better for storage than backup. Unfortunately these hard drives can be also be damaged or lost in a natural disaster or fire. Because my business requires me to keep mission critical data on my laptop and PC, I have decided to use an off-site automatic backup and recovery service. This gives me the confidence to do business without the threat of loss. I look at it as an insurance policy; you hope you never have to use it, but are so thankful if you do.