Losing data due to a computer malfunction or a hard drive catastrophe is demoralizing. For example, you may lose family pictures, music, or financial information. However, being proactive and having a computer backup on hand can save you a lot of heartache and anxiety.

It may take a long time to change your settings on a new computer once you have it exactly as you want it: desktop backdrop, noises, screensavers, and wireless network setups, to mention a few.

We suggest that you back up your data and settings regularly to save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Keep on reading for a full breakdown of the leading computer best practices, ones that would protect your data.

Computer Backup 101: Understanding the Basics

Numerous computer backup solutions are available, but not all provide the same degree of security or simplicity of use. Some provide enough protection but make file recovery difficult, while others are simple to use but insufficiently secure.

The best computer backup protects your data from all main threats, is simple to use, and allows you to restore what you need with minimum effort.

External Hard Drive (EHD)

One of the most widely utilized backup methods has been around for a long time. Because they’re portable, simple to attach to your laptop or PC, and reasonably cheap, external hard drives are popular for computer backup. People feel comfortable utilizing them since they’ve been around for a long time.

An external hard drive is usually connected to your computer or laptop through a USB connection to backup your data. You may choose specific files or folders to transfer onto the external hard drive once it is attached. You can recover copies of files and folders from an external hard drive if you lose them.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage and file sync and sharing are two methods for backing up computer data that are frequently interchangeable. Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, and Sugar Sync are just a few examples.

These services primarily provide two features: cloud storage for file backups and the ability to view and share files from a connected device.

The files you upload are kept at a distant or offsite location, which is one of the benefits of these services. The cloud protects them from local disasters like fires, floods, and power outages.

Cloud storage and file sync and sharing, like backup or external hard drives, thumb drives, and USB drives, are manual types of backup. Only the files you wish to upload must be chosen, and only those files are backed up. Deleted or overwritten files will not be protected by cloud storage or file sync and sharing services.

USB or Thumb Drive

Thumb or USB drives have various benefits and downsides, and an external hard drive is no exception. Simply drag and drop files and folders to a secure location. Because of their excellent mobility, connecting them to a computer is significantly easier.

While their portability makes them convenient to lose, it also renders them useless as a backup.

A manual backup on a USB or thumb drive might quickly lead to file overwriting or loss.

Fires, floods, and theft may damage thumb drives, just as they can an external hard drive. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to fit all of your computer’s data on a thumb or USB drive since they have less storage space than external hard drives.

Backup System: The Cloud Computing Edition

It’s easy to mix up cloud storage with cloud backup, but the two are vastly different. Both services store your data in a secure place offsite, safeguarding them from local catastrophes such as power outages, fires, floods, and other natural disasters.

Cloud backup, on the other hand, is a software-based solution that automates the backup process. Even while your data are backed up to the cloud, the program remains on your computer, quietly backing up files as you work on them.

Install the program on your computer or laptop to use cloud backup to backup photos and other data. You choose the files and folders you wish to back up the first time you use the program. Depending on how many images and data you have on your computer, your first backup may take anything from a few hours to several days.

After then, the program checks your computer or laptop regularly, uploading just the modifications. It also keeps track of earlier versions of files for a specific period, typically up to 90 days.

This provides security against computer viruses and ransomware because, if your system is ever compromised, you may restore previous versions of data to the state they were in before the assault.

Backup Best Practices: Use Multiple Methods

So, which one should you go with? At the very least, you should utilize two of them. Why? Because you need offshore as well as onsite backups.

“Onsite” refers to backups that are kept in the same physical place as you. So, an onsite backup is when you back up to an external hard drive and keep it at home with your home PC.

Onsite backups are quicker and simpler to implement, and they should be your first line of protection against data loss. You can quickly recover files from an external device if you lose them.

However, you shouldn’t depend only on local backups. All of your data would be lost if your house burned down or if all of the hardware in it was taken by criminals.

You’ll want to check out the different processes if you have a Macbook instead. This is how a Mac hard drive recovery works.

Automate the Process

All of this may seem complex, but the more you automate your backup system, the more often you’ll be able to back up and the more likely you’ll keep to it.

That is why you should use an automated program rather than transferring data to an external disk by hand. It’s simple to set up and forget about.

That’s one of the reasons we prefer online backup services.

If it’s backing up to the internet, it may do it daily automatically. If you have to plug in an external drive, you’ll have to put in more work, which means you’ll back up less often and perhaps quit doing it altogether.

The cost of keeping everything automated is definitely worth it.

Data Best Practices: Ready to Protect Your Data?

If you’re unused to the nuances of data management, then trying to figure out your computer backup can be somewhat overwhelming.

Hopefully, our guide has shed some light on computer backup and how it works. And, if you liked reading our article, then you’ll want to check out our technology section for all the additional tips and tricks.

Source: Plato Data Intelligence