Well before you beat yourself up for your digital dependence, let's take a look at some easy back up solutions to ensure you have a happy ending in any tragic computer mishap.
How you back up your data is really dependent on how much data you have. For those fortunate to have small amounts of data, there are plenty of free online backup solutions. But if you are like me, you have amassed enough data to rival the National Archives! So let's take a look at three options we can utilize for peace of mind.
Online Free Solutions
Like I mentioned earlier, this is a great option for those of you fortunate enough to only need small amounts of data backed up. Dropbox is one such product that will give you 2 GB of storage. Google Drive offers storage up to 5 GB. Both services give you an easy to install client that syncs your critical data.
Online Fee Based Solutions
For a nominal fee there are an abundant amount of choices for backing up your data. Here a few of the most popular ones.
- Carbonite - Offers an unlimited storage plan for $59 a year.
- IDrive - Offers a very affordable 150 GB storage plan for $49.99 a year.
- SOS Online Backup - A little more expensive at $79.99 a year but you can do multiple systems including mobile devices.
External Hard Drive Solution
This method involves using an external hard drive or pen drive to back up your data. Many hard drive manufacturers install their own brand of backup software to simplify the process. I have to admit this is my least favorite option. Don't get me wrong, backing up your important files to an external hard drive or pen drive is better than doing nothing, it's just not the best solution in a disaster recovery scenario. Unless you take that hard drive to an offsite location or lock it up in a data rated lock box, you are not truly prepared for all disasters. Plus, it makes it difficult to keep your data always current.
So as we are bombarded with the next vampire-werewolf-zombie tragic love story, you can breathe a little easier knowing your data doesn't have to be one of them.
Have a computer topic you would like see covered? Leave a comment below or send me an email.
This method involves using an external hard drive or pen drive to back up your data. Many hard drive manufacturers install their own brand of backup software to simplify the process. I have to admit this is my least favorite option. Don't get me wrong, backing up your important files to an external hard drive or pen drive is better than doing nothing, it's just not the best solution in a disaster recovery scenario. Unless you take that hard drive to an offsite location or lock it up in a data rated lock box, you are not truly prepared for all disasters. Plus, it makes it difficult to keep your data always current.
So as we are bombarded with the next vampire-werewolf-zombie tragic love story, you can breathe a little easier knowing your data doesn't have to be one of them.
Have a computer topic you would like see covered? Leave a comment below or send me an email.
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