Backups

Back-ups are extremely important to both business and home-users. A PC can be re-built, or you can buy another one, but you cannot buy your data back – without your data, your PC, Mac or laptop is useless. If you only do one thing, backup. Why? Data loss, malware, device loss/theft and hardware failure. Many people have lost data and wished they backed it up.

Backup your emails
These days, emails are in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and we assume they are backed up. If your emails were on-premise, you may back them up, and the cloud should be no different. Internal to Microsoft and 3rd party services exist to back up your cloud saved emails, SharePoint, OneDrive & Teams to a 3rd party.

Do not keep backups on your computers
There is no point in backing up your data and leaving the backup folder on the main computer. If that main computer is stolen, hit by a power surge, or drowned in a flood, then the whole process is a waste of time.

Remember ransomware
Today, backups need to take into account ransomware, which, if caught, can go after your primary hard drive/SSD, secondary drive, NAS, SAN, network shares, and even cloud drives. Ensure your backup method has inbuilt anti-malware and can detect ransomware.

3-2-1 rule
Three backups, two on-site in different forms, and one offsite; i.e. local external SSD/HDD in a safe, plus cloud service, and perhaps a USB stick, which always travels with you. Why? An external SSD in a safe is great till the safe is pilfered, burnt or flooded.

Test your back-ups
Once in a while, test your back-ups. There is no point backing up weekly or daily if it doesn’t work properly when things go wrong.

Check data storage locations
Many online backup services have their servers located in the USA. There is nothing wrong with the USA, but certain industries might prefer to have data stored within the UK or EU.

Consider an online back-up option
For ease of access, an online back-up option is a good idea. They mainly cost under £50 for one terabyte and you simply select which folders to back-up – desktop, documents, videos, pictures, and favourites, for example. Each day, if one file changes, the back-up agent will scan for new files or updates and upload your data to a remote server. If you have highly sensitive data, this might not be the option for you.

Back-up frequently
Aim to back up at least once a week to removable media, and if using online services, have it run continuously. Ensure the backup service/tool does versioning so you can get the file version from a few weeks back before someone trashes the file by mistake.

Encrypt backups
If you are using removable media to back up, for example, a CD, DVD or USB device, it is advisable to encrypt all data. This means, if the device is lost or stolen, your data is safe from prying eyes. BitLocker or MacOS APFS Encrypted can do this for you at no cost on the software level. Better still, buy a hardware encrypted USB stick. For cloud providers, some let you specify your own encryption key, which locks them out of your data – do not forget it.

Label and sort back-ups
In an emergency, you need access to your back-up fast, and you need to know what is what. If using physical means, as in a USB drive, USB external hard drive, or CD/DVD, label them. If using online services, have the credentials to hand for when you need them most.