What would you do if you lost everything? World Back Up Day, is a great yearly reminder that we need to take stock of our digital lives and commit to taking a few simple precautions to ensure the safety of our data.
Stop and think of all the precious items saved onto our devices. Why leave these in danger of being erased forever when we can take a couple of minutes to back them up safely to another device or in the cloud? Until it happens to you, you may not appreciate how impactful losing data can be. Spending hours on a school paper or work assignment, only to lose it all when the computer gives out without you saving it elsewhere can be crushing, and losing thousands of images, videos, songs or sentimental digital items can cause downright despair.
World Back Up Day Origins
World Back Up Day was conceived a relatively short time ago, in 2011, by a few concerned users on Reddit and quickly caught on. With the emergence of High Speed Internet as a central part of our daily lives and all the attention-grabbing headlines about major data breaches in the corporate world, it makes perfect sense that this issue become front and center. We’re not sure if choosing the day right before April Fool’s Day was deliberate, but the “Don’t be an April Fool. Back up your files on March 31st” tagline, works as a great call to action.
Why Once a Year is Not Enough
According to the official World Back Up Day website, only 30% of Canadians have ever backed up their data. Also, we lose valuable information from our computers and other electronic devices more often than you think. 13 smartphones are lost or stolen every single minute and 1 in 10 computers are infected with viruses. Not to mention “accidents” where non-waterproof phones fall into…you get the picture.
We’re just one failed bowl of rice away from absolute disaster when we don’t back up our devices.
This yearly reminder is a great way to shine the spotlight on the importance of Backing up our data but we recommend staying vigilant throughout the year. Losing valuable data costs money, time, and in some cases, your job. Not routinely backing up your data is the equivalent of driving your car without insurance- in the event of a mishap, it’s going to cost you big.
There are several ways one can go about backing up their data, here are the top 3 for you to consider:
On a USB Stick
The first and most commonly used method is an external hard drive or Usb Stick. The Average Usb Stick however, does not offer much storage capacity. You will find that people use USB sticks to save school papers, reports, or power point presentations, due to it being light, easy-to-transport and inexpensive. The downside is how easily it can be lost or misplaced due to its size, and the data limit which prevents most from backing up everything in one place.
An HDD
Another option for backing up your digital inventory is saving it to an external hard drive such as an HDD, also known as hard disk drive. These offer a much higher storage capacity and can be stored in a safe place until needed to recall files. You simply back up the full content of your device to the HDD and then place the HDD in a safe spot, like a fireproof safe or other medium which is unlikely to be impacted by the elements around it. External hard drives will cost more than your average USB stick, but they are more than worth the price if you have a lot of data to safeguard.
The Cloud
The third option for backing up and storing data, which is increasingly becoming ubiquitous for many of us, is Cloud backup. Apple, as an example, provides extra data in a user’s personal iCloud for free, and then charges additional money for subsequent space on an ‘as needed’ basis. Backing up data to a Cloud service is perhaps the easiest method to safely store your data, and will not be affected by any local issue (weather or otherwise). Depending on the type of data and the platforms you are using, some of your data may automatically get backed up to the cloud. We suggest you take inventory of which files are not secured and take immediate steps to cover the rest.
About Us
At Acanac we offer a wide range of High Speed Internet plans in Ontario and Quebec at a great price so you can enjoy everything the Internet has to offer, worry-free. Whether you’re looking for Unlimited Internet usage, or a plan that fits your exact needs, we have the package that you’ll be thankful for all year round. Call us today at 1-866-281-3583 or visit us online to find out why it’s good to be here.
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