It’s best practice to backup your most important data before any updates. If there should be a technical malfunction during the upgrade, you will at least have a backup to fall back on. An additional advantage is that you are at less risk when you update your applications and operating systems.

Data can be lost in many ways including ransomware, malware, computer malfunctions, viruses, and accidental deletion. Use electronic and physical back-ups or copies of your most important files. Best practice is to also use an online backup tool as an added layer of security to keep your important documents safe.

The 3-2-1 rule is a great general framework for backing up your data: Back up at least 3 total copies of your data. Ensure 2 of them are local but are on different media (e.g., external hard drives or SD cards). Keep 1 offsite, likely in a cloud-based backup service.

You can rebuild your computer system if everything is backed up, but it’s possible some of the programs you reinstall will be outdated. This subjects your computer to possible malware or ransomware attacks. That’s why you need to remember to update the software on your computer after rebuilding a system from a backup.

External hard drives are valuable parts of a backup strategy, even if you also use a cloud-based solution. Make sure to keep it in a safe place when using one, where it won’t fall or get buried under other objects. Think about transferring its contents to other media after 4 years, when the risk of […]

Backing up your data is important, but only if it’s being backed up correctly. If the backups are failing, you won’t be able to retrieve your documents, and you will have taken that precaution in vain. Test that your backups are working every so often by retrieving and opening a file. That way, if you […]