Remember that digital camera that you were given as a gift for Christmas last year. How many of those pictures ended up on your computer and were never printed? Most likely these pictures remain in one location, on your computer. In the event of a computer crash these memories could be lost forever. Many of us rely on the data always being available and do not remember to backup.
Backing up these memories can be a simple process and can be easily achieved. Depending on the level of protection required a backup solution can be easily implemented. Whether it is as simple as storing a copy of the data on an external hard drive or utilizing offsite storage a solution must be put in place.
Before any data can be backed up you need to assess where the files are stored. This is the most important step in the process to ensure you are saving all of your unrecoverable files. Though pictures are the main focus of this topic you may also want to consider what other types of files need to be saved. For example, movies, music, and financial documents. These are all valid files to be backed up and their locations will need to be known as well.
There are several different backup methods that can be put into place to protect your data. Some of these solutions have been identified below to provide a basic idea as to what you should consider when backing up your data. Please seek help from a qualified technician to ensure your solution fits your needs and budget.
By simply adding an external hard drive to your computer you can increase the protection of your digital memories tremendously. At a cost of around $100 a large hard disk can be easily connected to your computer allowing you to maintain a second copy of all your digital memories and other personal data. This is the easiest method of providing a backup solution for your computer. Some external drives include additional software which can make the backup as simple as the touch of a button. Keep in mind that this type of backup solution is only as good as where the media is stored. Typically this would be always connected to the computer which will only provide protection from data loss in the event of a hard drive failure on the computer. This solution does not prevent the protection from other factors such as theft, fire, and other catastrophic events.
In order to prevent loss due to a catastrophic event you need to maintain a form of backup that can be stored off site. This form of backup is the most complex to maintain and requires the most attention and dedication to ensure your digital memories remain safe forever. The easiest and most cost effective way to accomplish this is to generate backups of your data to CD_ROM or DVD media. This media will become easy to store and will take up limited space. One challenge with implementing this type of solution is to come up with a method of saving this large amount of data to the media initially and then keeping up with it. By using a backup log will help determine what files need to be backed up and will allow the creation of incremental backups rather than backing up everything every time. Creating a backup schedule will help ensure that you have current backups all the time.
Once your data has been backed up you will need to locate an appropriate off site storage location that is both accessible and secure. For example a safe deposit box is secure but may not be as accessible as you would desire. Other places to look at for off site storage is with a close relative or friend which may provide access to this data outside of normal business hours. Find the location and make sure you utilize this in order to avoid catastrophic loss of your data. Keeping a copy of the data in your home will not provide the desired level of protection required to prevent any type of catastrophic event.
The third way to backup your digital memories is to utilize an online storage solution which will save all of your data in the cloud. These types of services are fairly new and their continued operation is an unknown factor at this point. I would recommend this as a secondary backup solution which will provide realtime access to all of your files at any time of day from any location. The drawback to this type of solution lies with those who have a lot of data to store which may require additional cost to store your data. Additionally if you have a large amount of data to save in the cloud you will have to initially push the files up which could take a considerable amount of time even on a high speed connection. Once the original files are there maintaining future files should not take as long.
With all of this said there are a lot of things to consider with preventing your digital memories from being lost forever. This is not a subject to be taken lightly but is a daunting task to complete and keep up with over time. In order to make sure you are saving the most important files consult your local resources to assist in this process and make sure you have it all.
Korey E Benoit 