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Do You Even Backup, Bro?

by Behrad
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Think about that question for a second? Do you even backup your important files?

In our modern life we use our phone, laptop and other devices constantly, but what I see is that many people don’t pay any attention to backups at all! They have more attention for the right angle of their selfie! 😉 So think about this for a second, you lost your precious photos, documents and other important files, what do you do if you don’t have a backup? I’m not here to judge you but I want you to pay a bit more attention to backups.

Backing up your data is like having an insurance policy for your data. It’s basically not a matter of “if” but “when” something might go wrong. Accidental deletion, hardware failure, ransomware are just examples of things that can go wrong! Having a backup in place can save you in those situations.

For people within IT, some subjects like backup are obvious, but to others it’s just a vague thing. So here are some few tips for you to start backing up your files!

Create A Backup Plan:

Like everything in real life, you need to have a plan and stick to it. One of the most important questions you want to ask yourself is: What do I want to backup, why do I want to back it up and what do I want to happen in case of failure? It’s this question that which will give you all the answers you want to hear: For me it’s a clear deal; I want to have a backup of all of my documents, photos of friends, families and all other data. I would hate it if something would happen with the pictures of my kids when they were born and in case of failure I would like very much to have them “ready and at hand” fast.

Don’t forget to consider all of your devices such as phone, tablet and other devices in your backup plan! They’re also important!

Choose Your Backup Methode:

Now that you have an idea about your backup plan, you need to think about the possible ways of backing up your data. Now you can start thinking about how you want to backup and their pros and cons: Perhaps you don’t have that much data and an external hard drive or even a free cloud storage might be sufficient for you. In other case you might have some higher demands and you might even consider to running your DIY backup solution.

What ever your choice may be; remember, be prepared to spend some money on backups.

Automate, Automate, Automate:

Forget about habits, we all know how good your New Year’s Resolutions went, and make sure that there is an automated way/system which does the job for you. This way you don’t need to think about anything and the system will do it’s job!

3-2-1 Rule:

There is a 3-2-1 backup rule which is a widely recommended strategy for backups and it goes likes this:

  • 3 copies: Make sure that you have at least three copies of your data
  • 2 different Media Types: Make sure that your copies are on at least two different types of storage.
  • 1 offsite copy: Make sure that at least one copy of your data is stored on a different physical location from where the original data is stored.

This way you make sure that you have enough redundancy and extra protection available on your data. While this might go too far for some, just make sure that you have multiple copies and don’t pull all of your eggs in one basket!

Regular Checkups & Tests:

When it comes to your car, you know that once in a while you need to check the oil, tire pressure and other things. Otherwise you can’t drive. Basically the same applies on your backups as well. Check your backup periodically to ensure that they’re working and that your plan actually works for you. Also consider the recovering time as well.

Encrypt Your Backup:

Protect your data by encrypting your backups, you don’t want your important documents ended up in the wrong hands. This goes for each copy of your data! And basically encryption of your data should be enabled by default on every storage device you use whether it’s your own disk or in the cloud.

Backup vs File Sync:

Backup and file synchronization is not the same thing! When syncing your data in one location is being copied to another location. So if you change a file, the changes are synced between devices. In case that you want to go back to the original file, then you’re out of luck! (Unless the Sync tool is offering you file versioning and restoration options).

Backups, on the other hand, are static copy of the files which will stay just as it was the moment it was backed up. You can restore it even when you’ve deleted the original files and or adjusted it completely.

“Do you even backup, bro?”

So now you can easily nod and say “hell yeah” if someone asks you “Do you even backup, bro?” Believe me when I say that having a backup plan is awesome! Not only you’re prepared, you’ll come to a point or situation where you’ll thank yourself that you have a backup!

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