Backup Your Data
Why should I be backing up my data?
The most obvious reason is to not lose all your hard work, documents, photos, etc. Never put your eggs in one basket. What are you going to do when that drive or SSD fails in your computer or mobile device? Yes, there are situations where the damaged drives can be recovered, but are you willing to pay the price? Recovering damaged drives can cost from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Also there is no guarantee that a drive recovery service is able to get the data back. The cost of backing up to an external device pales in comparison to the aforementioned alternative. So why run the risk? There is no excuse. External drives nowadays are very inexpensive. Think of all the downtime, frustration, costs and headache you can save with a good backup. Data loss can happen at any time, no matter what the cause. Need I say more? So quit stalling and get backing up!
To back up consists of creating a duplicate of your data to some sort of external, removable storage device. This external storage device can be a thumb drive, external hard drive, network access storage (NAS), CD, DVD, etc. In essence, a backup is available in case your computer or mobile device is lost, stolen, destroyed or has its drive fail. There are also services available that back up your data to a remote storage location via the Internet. This is also known as Cloud Backup or backing up to the Cloud.
Cloud vs local backups
Note that cloud syncing and backing up to the cloud are not the same. Cloud syncing services such as Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. push identical mirror copies, of a specific set of files and folders, to your linked devices. If a file gets infected, changed or deleted, then so do all the other files on all the linked devices.
Cloud backup:
A cloud backup is also known as an online or remote backup. Why? Because your data is sent to a remote server over the Internet. There is typically a monthly or annual fee for this service.
The advantage of backing up to a cloud server is if your computer, mobile device, server, etc. gets infected with malware such as ransomeware, remote backups are typically unaffected. Services such as Carbonite, iDrive, etc. allow you to restore from historical backups. That way if your computer or device gets infected, you can restore from a time before the infection occurred.
Advantages:
- Data is offsite.
- If your computer, mobile device, server, etc. gets infected with malware such as ransomeware, remote backups are typically unaffected.
- In case of a natural disaster, theft, fire, etc. your data is secure and safe off site.
Disadvantages:
- Slow to restore.
- You are dependent on the cloud provider keeping your files secure from hackers.
- There is a monthly or annual subscription fee for the service.
- Higher storage cost.
- Restoration is slow.
Some cloud backup services offer whats called bare metal restore. That means the backup software takes a snapshot of your entire system, including boot files, operating system, etc. This is helpful when your drive, fails in your laptop, server or desktop, the restore software will bring the system back to its original state.
A few of the services also offer to send you a physical backup drive of your data. This is useful when restoring large amounts of data that would take a long time to download over the Internet.
Another layer of protection, that most services offer, is that your data is encrypted with a private key that you create. That way it is encrypted before it is sent to the cloud backup server. However if you lose your private key, then there is no way to get the data back on recovery.
22 Cloud Backup Services Reviewed
Best Cloud Backup Services 2019
Local Backup:
A local backup is where the backup media is close at hand. This can be a locally connected hard drive, thumb drive, removable discs or a storage drive connected to the local network.
Advantages:
- Backup and restores are much faster.
- You have control and possession of the backup media, therefore it is less likely to be compromised.
- Low storage cost.
Disadvantages:
- You are entirely responsible for securing your backups from getting lost or stolen.
- Backups can be damaged or destroyed in case of fire or natural disaster.
- Active backup media can be infected with malware when connected to the computer or network.
Apple macOS has built in backup software called Time Machine, which keeps a historical copy of all your computers files on an external disk which is updated every hour. Learn more about Time Machine.
How to backup your Mac computer using Time Machine or iCloud
How to use Time Machine on your Mac
Microsoft Windows also has built in automated backup tool for your PC.
How to backup your PC automatically on Windows 10
Always keep at least one up to date, offline and off premises backup, stored in a secure location. It is best to keep a rotation of multiple backups. The more backup copies the better. That way if the active backup media gets infected, the uninfected historical offline backup can be used to save the day.
Backup Rotation Scheme – Networx Security
For added security, make sure that all your backups are encrypted.
Different types of backups
Full and Incremental Backups: All the data is backed up. After that, only new or modified files are copied to the backup media.
Differential Backups: Copies only changed data since the last full backup.
Full system: Copies the entire operating system including data files. Another words an entire image of your desktop, laptop or mobile device.
Additional Resources
Compare the best backup software
8 Best Commercial Backup Software Programs
The best Windows backup software
The Best Windows Server Backup
Article by: Rick Naujokat
