Backups are important, we all know it. Especially in this age where one of the more common forms of malware out there will lock your files away from you until you pay a ransom. Paying the ransom does not ensure that you will get them back, or that your files will not also be sold to anyone who might find them of value or interest. One of your top defenses against this is to have a good backup strategy in place.
We’re all a bit too busy and generally human to take care of this properly, so automating our backups is well worth the setup time. This is one of the reasons we recommend projects like Nextcloud. Its uses span everything from making sure all of your improtant files are synchronized on all of your devices, to video conferencing and much more. Check it out! Call us if you need any help or advice here.
Rules of thumb:
- Your really want at least 3 copies of your important data
- These copies should be on at least two different devices
- Keep at least one copy offsite
This is generally known as the 3-2-1 rule. There are many ways to implement this, and we can offer advice on solutions which are tailored to both your needs and budget.
The other thing to remember is that storage devices fail. They have a working life like anything else, and if this is the only place you have your important documents and photographs stored, this is a very risky situation. Not just because of the potential problems listed above but also since even something as simple as application updates can cause data loss, as shown by the recent Adobe Lightroom stuff up.
TL;DR do your backups!