During the past week, two different friends have endured break-ins at the places where they work.  One of my friends is a minister and the other one runs his own business.  Both men had their personal computers stolen, but there was one major difference.  One had all the data backed up from his computer and the other didn’t.  Computers can be replaced fairly easily, but documents, financial data and critical files cannot.  What are you doing to make sure you’re ready for hard drive failure, fire, natural disaster or a thief?

Data Backup

With the relatively low cost of thumb drives, external hard drives and cloud based storage, you’d have to be crazy not to be doing at least some basic data backup.  But according to BackBlaze.com, approximately 50% of computer users have not backed up their data in the past year.  Here are some of my favorite options that I have personally used for data backup.  I would really love to hear your ideas in the comments below:

Dropbox

I have written before about Dropbox.  It is an amazing and free service.  I use Dropbox to store all of my documents and sync them between the various computers and devices that I use.  They start you with 2gb of storage for free and you can either purchase additional space or earn up to 18gb of space through referrals and trying out new services.  Simply install Dropbox on your device then organize the Dropbox folder on your computer and start saving files.  The files are stored offsite on the Dropbox server if something ever happens to your computer.  Not only are your files archived but this useful service gives you quick, up to date access across any of your devices.

External Drives

My external drives of choice are made by Lacie.  They are not the cheapest drives out there, but I have Lacie external hard drives that are over 10 years old now and they have been running every day and are still going strong.  I have used external drives from most of the major manufacturers and have had every one of them fail.  Try to keep the hard drive and your computer in different locations that are both easily accessible to you.  I keep the hard drives at my office and let my main laptop run a backup in the background while I am working.  My laptop comes home with me every night so if it is stolen from the truck or damaged at home, my data is still safe at my office.

The key to backing up data is making it effortless.  If you have a Mac, I have found Time Machine to be very easy to use and effective for restoring lost data.  (Time Machine is the built in backup software for Macs.)  If you have a PC there are tons of options out there from the standard software that comes with Windows 8 to any number of 3rd party solutions.  I have been out of the PC world too long to make a good recommendation for backup software.  Perhaps one of my readers will share a good one in the comments below.

Removable Media

Thumb drives of 32gb can be picked up for $15 to $20 and can store all the vital documents and files for 95% of people who read this.  Thumb drives are great because they are small and can easily be stored in a desk drawer at work, in the glove box of a car or out in the shed.  A copy of your documents folder can quickly be stored on one of these and left somewhere safe.  Depending on the nature of your data, you might want to protect the thumb drive with a password.

Data discs like DVDs and CDs can also cost pennies.  I try to burn DVD data discs with folders of photos and raw video files.  This option requires quite a bit of dedication since it takes time and effort to remember to make these discs.  I label them with a Sharpie and add them to a spindle of data discs I keep at the house.

Online Storage

There are tons of free and paid online storage solutions for data backup.  I think any thorough (paranoid) data backup plan should include an online backup as well as a physical backup.  For your needs Dropbox may be the solution, but you might have too much data for Dropbox to hold.  The biggest use of data for most users involves digital photos and videos.  I like to use Phanfare Premium to backup and archive my photos and videos in full resolution, but this is a paid solution and after a recent price hike it is getting expensive.  Many free solutions are out there and can easily be researched.  Some of the best free solutions come from Google and include Google Drive and Picasa.

Basic Security

Some basic security measures can also protect your data if someone decides to ‘borrow’ your laptop or portable device.  Every device should have a password.  The amount of data on devices as well as instant access to email, etc. can make a stolen device a huge problem.  A password can help keep your data from being compromised.  The vast majority of thieves are not looking to hack into your data but simply want to flip your device for fast money.  Devices can be wiped clean without the password, so you are simply taking an extra step to make sure your personal data is protected.  I also run Prey on my laptop in the case that it gets stolen and unlocked for use.  Prey is a free app that can record screenshots, keystrokes and location if my laptop is compromised.

It’s also good to hide, conceal or lock down devices when possible.  Locks only keep an honest man honest but they also slow down most thieves who are looking for easy targets.  I keep most of my hard drives stashed out of site with only the connection wires hanging out.  I also keep some sort of cover in my truck to keep my work bag out of sight when I am running errands.  My work bag typically has several thousand dollars worth of equipment in it, so protection is very important.

Wrap Up

We all tend to procrastinate things that we know we should be doing.  Take a few moments today to do a basic backup of your computer.  It will probably cost you little to no money and just a few moments of your time.  Having your data safe and secure can save you tons of time and money when something bad happens.  What are you doing to make sure your data is safe and secure?