Forget the notion that you're just an average computer user who doesn't need to backup your computer files. Not only companies or individuals who have top-secret or financial information such as government agencies, banks, or criminal investigation units need to backup computer files, all of us do. After all, isn't our own work, a year's collection of family photos, or a compilation of our favorite songs gathered and painstakingly categorized, important as well? True, the loss of these files may not affect other people, but the effect of such loss on you would be devastating. In this digital age, your computer files are part of your life.
Some have kept certain files for years. And this was always done in the same old process. First, you buy a stack of floppy disks or CDs which can be costly. You organize your files in such a way that everything in one category would fit into the disk space. Then, you label each disk before finally storing the information - which usually takes lots of space and hours of time. In storing your files, you need to be extra careful since a few scratches or a several drops of water could be enough to erase all your hard work and stored data. You may buy a protective safe for your disks but this would mean additional expenses on your part.
Today, technology has come a long way in providing storage space. Now, a wide range of external hard drives are already available in the market. These hard drives can be plugged in to almost all types of computers so you can find your files and work on them right away. Another good thing about external hard drives is that it allows you to organize data into folders, just like how you do it with your home computer's built-in hard drive. Now, you no longer need to sort through stacks of diskettes or CDs. The drives come in various sizes - others can hold multiple terabytes of information. For instance, a terabyte drive can store over 200,000 photos at 5 megabytes each.
The thing is though, external hard drives don't come cheap and while it gives you a convenient way to keep your files safe, not everyone is sold out on using it. Some people think that external drives are good only for those with technical background.
For these types of computer users, a good option for ensuring that your data is safe from all possible causes of data loss would be to avail of online backup services being offered by many companies. With this backup method, you don't need to be a techie because most of these online storage solutions are very user-friendly. And, you get the assurance that your data is being kept away from prying eyes using advanced encryption technology and stored in servers located in a protected area.
Some have kept certain files for years. And this was always done in the same old process. First, you buy a stack of floppy disks or CDs which can be costly. You organize your files in such a way that everything in one category would fit into the disk space. Then, you label each disk before finally storing the information - which usually takes lots of space and hours of time. In storing your files, you need to be extra careful since a few scratches or a several drops of water could be enough to erase all your hard work and stored data. You may buy a protective safe for your disks but this would mean additional expenses on your part.
Today, technology has come a long way in providing storage space. Now, a wide range of external hard drives are already available in the market. These hard drives can be plugged in to almost all types of computers so you can find your files and work on them right away. Another good thing about external hard drives is that it allows you to organize data into folders, just like how you do it with your home computer's built-in hard drive. Now, you no longer need to sort through stacks of diskettes or CDs. The drives come in various sizes - others can hold multiple terabytes of information. For instance, a terabyte drive can store over 200,000 photos at 5 megabytes each.
The thing is though, external hard drives don't come cheap and while it gives you a convenient way to keep your files safe, not everyone is sold out on using it. Some people think that external drives are good only for those with technical background.
For these types of computer users, a good option for ensuring that your data is safe from all possible causes of data loss would be to avail of online backup services being offered by many companies. With this backup method, you don't need to be a techie because most of these online storage solutions are very user-friendly. And, you get the assurance that your data is being kept away from prying eyes using advanced encryption technology and stored in servers located in a protected area.
About the Author:
Whichever method you choose to backup your computer doesn't really matter. Just do something to have your computer data safe! If you opt foran online service like Carbonite backup, it is very affordable (less than $5/month) and they take care of all the work for you.
