Time to Backup Your 2018 Computer Files
You’ll need a few tools to setup the most efficient way of backing up while following the 3-2-1 rule.
Are you backing Up Your Files?
As incredible as it may seem, many companies simply do not take the time to regularly back up their computers. Sadly, with so many attempts to install ransomware and other bad stuff on your computer, many folks just don’t take the time to save their files in a safe place and many lose years worth of graphics and files.
Let’s do something to save you hours of headaches and possibly loss of income.
The 3-2-1 Rule of Backups
For many years there has been a rule for backing up computer data called the “3-2-1 Rule”.
- 3 copies of your data,
- On 2 different types of storage,
- With 1 of them offsite.
So, to do this properly, you can do a backup to two separate external hard drives and one to a cloud storage place and be in compliance. But remember, keep one external drive at your house and one at the office, they need to be in two different locations in case of theft or fire or some other disaster.
It’s Time Well Spent
One reason that many do not backup regularly is that it seems to take lots of time that they want to spend using the computer for profit. So in response, I simply say “if there ain’t no computer there ain’t no profit!” Also, there are lots of backup programs that can be set up to run in the background, behind the scenes of everyday shop life. I hope you are running out of excuses!
What You’ll Need for Good Backup Routine
- Get TWO external hard drives. Try to get at least 1 TB drives. They should cost something like $150-$200 dollars max. You just want to make sure you have plenty of room for data. In addition, try to invest is Solid State Drives (SSD) since those will have the fastest data transfer making the saving aspect faster.
- Signup for some kind of online storage. I use Dropbox, but there are many. If you want to take this to more automation, you can even set up an online backup service that will continuously monitor your hard drive and back it up behind the scenes (recommended)
- A backup champion. Assign someone to be the backup champion. Their job will be to check to make sure backups are happening and to keep the data safe.
You;re safe!
Now that you’ve got it all setup, tweak it a bit and you’ll keep all that data safe.