How to Back-up your data

Whether you are a business user, home user, or both, backing up your files is the most important task you do on your computer. Everything has a shelf life and no PC is completely immune to crashes, system failures, viruses or overheated hard drives. Home users can suddenly find their most treasured digital photos lost forever, and companies obviously can stand to lose even more.

How to Back-up

Firstly, one has to recognise that data needs to be backed up in a different location to where they normally reside. It is no good copying all of your files within the same computer or server because you are trying to protect yourself from the possibility of that computer or server ceasing to function.

The next step is to establish where you want to back up your data to. This is an important decision, and the best option will depend on the nature of your data and setup. There are two common methods:

1) Backup to a remote server over the internet

There is a huge range of hosting packages offering storage for you to keep your files. This will not appeal to those who don’t want to entrust sensitive data to a third party, nor is it really an option for those with a lot of data to back up or a slow internet connection. However, for those worried about fire or theft, remote storage can be a viable solution as your data will be uploaded straight out of your office and to a secure server that is potentially on the other side of the world.

If you go for this option, make sure that you shop around for the right company. Some provide the space, others provide the space and software for automatic backups or synchronisation. You should have an idea of how much data you need to back up, and then ensure that the storage on offer is sufficient. Bandwidth (how much data can be transferred over a given period of time) offerings are equally important. There is no point uploading 1000 megabytes of data only to find that you can’t download more than 100 megabytes a month. If your computer caught fire after that, it would take you most of a year to restore your data! Also make sure that you check the reviews before you opt for your chosen provider, a Google search will usually be enough for this.

If you need simple online storage, Bluehost offers a reliable and cost effective service. If you want a more rounded solution with features more specifically geared towards backing up, you should give http://mozy.com/ a go.

2) Backup to an external drive.

An external hard drive is literally an extra drive for your computer that you can plug in as you see fit (usually by USB). Nowadays the cost of USB external drives are dropping as quickly as their capacities are increasing. For some, a USB stick will suffice, for others there are larger drives which range from 100 gigabytes to 2000 gigabytes (2 terabytes). You need to think about how portable you need your drive to be and if you want to put it in your bag (or pocket) at the end of the day, make sure that you encrypt or password protect your backed up files to avoid your data getting into the wrong hands should it be lost or stolen. Most companies will find 250 gigs of storage more than sufficient for their needs.

One common option is to manually back up files to a hard drive and then keep it in a fire proof safe overnight. Others will be happy to keep it plugged in to their computers all the time and refer to it only when things go wrong. Again, this is a personal decision which depends on your requirements and the nature of your data.

3) Backup your files automatically.

Whether you go for backing up to a remote server over the internet, or to an external hard drive, the freeware version of Syncback is an excellent tool for managing the process automatically. It has a huge variety of options and will allow you to specify exactly how you want to synchronise or overwrite each time you backup. Syncback also allows you to schedule tasks over a time-frame of your choosing. (Companies should aim to backup once a day) Once you have specified which folders should be copied and to where, you can pretty much sit back and let Syncback do the rest.

If you have not got a back up system in place at all, we strongly recommend that you get one – now. We have only mentioned two common methods, although there are countless others to choose from. Ultimately, the question you need to ask yourself is: “Can I continue to perform effectively without all of the data currently stored on my computer/network/server?” If the answer is “no”, then you could well be sitting on a time bomb.