Almost the only way to ensure that data backup occurs on a regular basis is to automate it. For personal computers and laptops, this is easiliy achieved with relatively cheap software. While data backup for a largish business can be complicated, the simplicity of setting up an automated data backup on your PC is such that not setting this up can be considered reckless.
Note - if you use a computer on a regular basis, the issue is not if you’ll have a data failure (probably a hard disk crash), only when. If you have a hard disk failure, you can try using a data recovery service. There are no guarantees that data recovery will work - so a regular data backup is the only sure way of ensuring that you don’t lose valuable information stored on yout computer.
The data backup articles in this section have been added to this site to help individuals be responsible computer users. Take the time to read the articles, and ensure that you apply the advice on data backup.
A hard drive crash can mean much more than the loss of a part of your computer. Often this is the primary place for storage of your information, family photos, work related files, favorite mp3s and other things that have often taken months if not years to make. The loss of an operating system like Windows is not as serious, you have the disk already, all your programs are on CD, but your personal information needs to be protected by you.
Your company’s data may be its most important asset. Imagine a large corporation with millions of dollars of account receivable and account payable data stored on their network. A fire causes massive data loss. How much work would be required to re-create the lost data? Without backups, the company may not survive the disaster….
If your server that stores customer lists, payroll details, accounting details, purchase orders, inventories and other data vital to the running of your business has a hard disk failure - are you prepared? You may find that you are seriously ill-prepared to deal with such a disaster. Virtually all of your business’ data in one location. No copies were made. You are faced with the fact that many years’ worth of data has been lost forever…
A computer crash is at best time consuming and expensive, and at worst a genuine business disaster. Here are things you can do now to prevent a crash and/or insure a smooth recovery whether you use your computer at work or for your personal life-or both…
Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem. Are you prepared to loose your data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have an action plan to follow?
Most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don’t set yourself up for a data loss disaster…