6 things you should know about backing up your PC

You should never assume the safety of the data on your PC, and always have a backup to be safe. A lot of our important data and information is stored on our computers these days. Such data can include family photos and videos, tax and other personal documents and work-related documents. Much of this data is irreplaceable. It is essential that we take steps to preserve this data since it is far more susceptible to data loss than one might think. Backup is one of the most effective insurance against data loss. Here are 6 things you should know about data backup.

Everything fails, eventually

No electronic device has an infinite lifespan. The most common devices for holding large quantities of data are mechanical hard disk drives. These devices are complex devices with a lot of mechanical parts. Even with today’s precision manufacturing, it is quite likely that eventually, the parts wear off and the disk fails. Even in case of solid-state storage, repeated write cycles wear down the storage cells and the drive eventually fails. Hence, there is no device that is completely fail proof. The device warranty only covers the cost of the device, not your data.

Full system backups are not essential

When you hear about backups, you may have often heard of a full system or full disk backup. This kind of backup essentially copies your entire drive, and thus requires a large amount of space. In case of drive failure, this allows you to restore the system to the previous system as if nothing ever happened. However, this is unnecessary for most people. The only things that you need to backup are irreplaceable files. The operating system and other softwares can be brought back online as long as you retain the licenses.

Fewer things need to be backed up

A lot of things today are offered as a service and delivered via the cloud. An example is Spotify for music and Netflix for movies. Thus, fewer people actually have a collection of songs and movies sitting on their computers. If you do, services such as iCloud with iTunes allows you to have a limited backup of your music. Most gamers use Steam, hence you don’t need to hold game setup or save files. Hence, the things that need to be backed up are far fewer. However, media such as personal photos and videos are larger in size due to the widespread use of high-resolution cameras.

Separation of backup

Your backups must be separated from the original copy. At the very least, create different system partition for storing a backup. Ideally, it must not be on the same computer and even the same place. Use an external hard disk for a backup and store it away. Even better, backup off-site by either using cloud services or using a remote backup. This protects against any disaster at your home or office. The further away the back and the original copy is, the better.

Backing up is easy

Most operating systems have a built-in backup tool with basic features. If you need more features, you can get third-party tools to manage backup for you. If you buy a NAS, they often come with their own advanced backup too. If you purchase an online backup service, it also comes with its own tool. All these tools are designed to be as easy as possible. Some may have some advanced features geared towards business and enterprise customers, but you can use the products without touching those options. The basic options for most backup tools are very simple and self-explanatory.

Cost of backup services and softwares is quite low

The cost of backup is mostly related to the cost of storage, which has gone down significantly. If you are backing up to the cloud, then you need to include the cost of bandwidth. However, this has also gone down significantly. You can get a 1 TB external hard disk for quite cheap, and it will suffice the backup need of most people. Some online backup services such as Google Drive and OneDrive have free tier options which can hold your bare essential files. Even the cost of paid online backup options has been decreasing.

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