Backup important files before it’s too late
Every day, I see people who have experienced data loss because of faulty or failed hard drives and from malware attacks. Don’t leave your personal data at risk of unrecoverable loss!
Computer hard drives don’t last forever. Even the solid-state drives used in new computers and laptops have a limited life expectancy. The same is true for USB drives, CDs, DVDs and any other media. There is no completely safe way to permanently store your precious photos and videos, but we can come very, very close.
There are 2 main strategies that need to be employed to elevate your files to an as safe as can be state:
1. Multiple copies
This first step is simple. Never, ever have only a single copy of an important file. At the very least, copy all your important files (photos, videos, tax records, etc) from your computer to a second location. This can be as simple as an external hard drive. But don’t copy the files there and delete them from your PC. If you need the space on your computer, use 2 separate external drives.
At Tech Doods we use a NAS (Network Attached Storage). In our case this is an old computer we have re-purposed for the task, but you can also buy purpose built appliances. Think of this a bit like an online drive service, but one that lives in your home. Always wanting to test our knowledge and improve our technology skills, we also go one step further and have a second, smaller NAS. Our primary NAS copies all the important files to this secondary NAS several times a day. To be fair, we did this just because we had yet another old computer sitting around doing nothing. Improving our skills was just a bonus. Most people won’t need this level of protection.
If you like, we can build you a custom NAS or use an old desktop PC you already have and install and configure the necessary software.
2. Multiple locations
Step 2 is what really helps make your data secure. A 3rd copy of your file that lives somewhere else. This keeps your files safe from a catastrophic failure in your home, such as a fire or flood destroying your computer and first backup.
This other location might be OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive or any of the many other similar services. Backing up your files to these services can even be automated. Up to various limits, many of these services are also free.
Your ability to use such a service may be impacted by any limitations of your internet service, be it speed or data caps.
At Tech Doods we use a service called Backblaze as our off-site backup. Our NAS uploads all our new data nightly. It is different to the mainstream drive-like services in that it is deliberately aimed at the backup market. Storage is cheap, but downloads cost extra. The backups are also encrypted, so even Backblaze doesn’t know what we are storing there.
So, how can we help?
We can configure an on-going, automatic backup of all your most important files including those precious family photos. Our data protection services aren’t just for personal use! We also offer data backup service for small businesses to keep important financial records and other documentation safe.
Transfer data from an old computer to a new device
We’ll begin by configuring your new computer, laptop, phone or tablet, so that it works how you expect and would like it to. This includes getting your new device ready to receive the incoming data and making sure there’s enough room.
After that, we’ll also transfer all the data that’s important to you from your old device to the new one so that you have all the files you need in exactly the right places. We won’t just dump it all in a random folder – if you like we can help you get set up right, with a well-organised file structure.
Honestly… nothing makes us happier than well-organised data!
Setup an automated backup of your data
Having a data backup plan in place is essential both for personal use and business owners. An automated backup of your data will be configured so that you have one less thing to worry about every day! It will be backed up in one of two ways, both of which will be offered and explained by your technician.
The first option is with an external hard drive – which is a portable device that will be connected to your computer and will store your data.
The second option is to use cloud backup solutions – which is saved online using special backup software.