Contributed post.
One of the most crucial rules of working digitally is to back up your data frequently. Everyone knows that. But times change, businesses change, technology changes, and if you haven’t thought about your backup system, it’s a good idea to do that.
Remember Mozy? Founded in 2005, it quickly became one of the most popular online data backup services. Then it was acquired by EMC. Then EMC was acquired by Dell. Then Carbonite bought Mozy from Dell and shut it down. Drama is great for TV shows, but not so much for the security and reliability of your data backup.
Speaking of Carbonite, did you know they don’t back up 100% of your files? (And if you are using another service…do you know if they do?) The service doesn’t back up video files, or any file over 4GB in size. Other services may store only a few revisions of each file, or discard older files.
If it’s been a while since you’ve revisited how and where you backup your data, this is a good time to do an evaluation. What you discover may surprise you, but it’s better to be surprised when your data is (relatively) safe, than when your hard drive crashes and you discover the quirks and limitations of your backup method or service too late.
Here are four important things to know and reasons why you should always ensure your data is properly backed up.
It’s vital for document recovery (of course).
We’ve all been there.
One moment you’re working through your daily tasks everything is running smoothly. All it takes is one errant click of the mouse and you’ve managed to delete a critical file or even an entire folder of important documents, photographs, or data from existence. You are then left (after the panic subsides) with the difficult and time-consuming tasks of data recovery to avoid losing days of hard work.
If you haven’t previously backed up the files, retrieving them alone can be very difficult—though not impossible. Tools such as Disk Drill can help you safely and securely restore those deleted files before it is too late. The software can retrieve deleted data from a wide range of devices including:
- Hard drives (both internal and external)
- iPhones
- Cameras
- Android Devices
- Tablets
- Kindles
If you use a backup service, you’re in better shape. But even then, your files may be hard to find. Not all services store your backup files in the same configuration you use on your hard drive.
It helps with cybersecurity.
Cyberattacks are on the rise. Each year, the number of cyberattacks increases dramatically, targeting companies both large and small and compromising the data of millions of people worldwide. When a company’s system or database is hacked, not only is the information stored exposed to attackers, but there’s also the risk of files being deleted completely.
To avoid losing data due to actions of malicious actors, it’s essential you know how to protect your business from potential cyberattacks and ensure all important files are backed up regularly.
It saves time.
Backing up documents creates an archive of company information, data, and reports. This means that the information is always readily available should somebody require access to it. And if the data is stored correctly, they can locate it in seconds.
You should always ensure your business data is properly backed up—especially if you are using cloud-based applications. Doing so will benefit employees who are working from home as they can quickly and efficiently gain access to the necessary files to complete their work.
Furthermore, if your work is continuously backed up, you minimize the risk of losing recent changes, meaning you won’t have to repeat certain tasks. If you don’t keep multiple copies of a file, losing them means you’ll have to (try) to recreate your efforts, potentially losing a great thought and at least doing the same work multiple times, wasting precious hours and damaging productivity.
It can help at tax time.
Filing taxes is easy and fun (said no business person ever). It can be especially difficult when you have to keep track of multiple years worth of records, and you’ve changed your business structure or filing status.
Because of how easy it is to simply delete or misplace a file, it’s important that you keep multiple copies of any documents relating to taxes or payments, to ensure you can find them if and when you need to.