March 31 is World Backup Day, a time to focus on how digitally stored data is a huge part of our lives. For individuals, digital data is comprised of our work assignments, family photos and videos, favorite music, financial documents and more. Businesses of all sizes rely on massive quantities of data to support their operations, from payroll to employee training.
Because of how much we depend on data on multiple levels, information security is extremely important. These days, data breaches and cyberattacks are more common than we'd like. And real-world perils such as fires, hurricanes and earthquakes can prove fatal to data storage.
For World Backup Day, let’s go over its core elements -- and also consider ways to start backing up data in preparation for worst-case scenarios.
The importance of backing up key data
The factors that can lead to catastrophic data loss are more numerous than you might think. According to research conducted by cloud storage solutions provider Cloudwards in 2015, hardware and system malfunctions were the most common cause of data crashes, representing 44% of such incidents, followed by human error at 32%. Software corruption, viruses or cyberattacks and natural disasters rounded out the list, at 14%, 7% and 3%, respectively.
Statistics provided on the official website of World Backup Day note the following:
The best ways to back up
In an interview with business and technology news resource Business.com, Ismail Jadun – founder of World Backup Day – endorsed what's called the 3-2-1 method as a primary backup strategy. This is fairly straightforward: Data should be backed up in three physical locations. Two of these backups should be different formats (perhaps one personal computer, one backup computer and one large-capacity external hard drive could work). Finally, the third should be off-site, either at a separate server from your company's primary server or in the cloud (for your business) or a cloud backup solution (for your personal information).
The advent of cloud storage has in many ways revolutionized the task of backing up data. All of the giants in the tech sector offer cloud storage platforms, such as Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud and Google Drive. One other popular example is Dropbox, an application you can download onto multiple computers and access from anywhere just like you would with other cloud storage platforms.
All of these methods have pros and cons. Cloudwards explains that physical backups─external drives, separate computers, network tape, ect. ─ are one-time purchases and give you complete control over data. But you must protect them using anti-virus software.
On the other hand, cloud storage is effectively unlimited ─ though specific providers will vary in their requirements and storage capacity ─ and you can access your data anywhere on computers and mobile devices. Additionally, many cloud platforms have built-in encryption capabilities. Their primary disadvantage is that you must pay a monthly or annual fee for their upkeep and you lack direct control of the data; thus, if their systems fail, you're in trouble.
Whether backing up your personal information or secure corporate data, only you can know exactly what method will best suit your needs. But one thing is sure: failing to back up is simply not an option!
Because of how much we depend on data on multiple levels, information security is extremely important. These days, data breaches and cyberattacks are more common than we'd like. And real-world perils such as fires, hurricanes and earthquakes can prove fatal to data storage.
For World Backup Day, let’s go over its core elements -- and also consider ways to start backing up data in preparation for worst-case scenarios.
The importance of backing up key data
The factors that can lead to catastrophic data loss are more numerous than you might think. According to research conducted by cloud storage solutions provider Cloudwards in 2015, hardware and system malfunctions were the most common cause of data crashes, representing 44% of such incidents, followed by human error at 32%. Software corruption, viruses or cyberattacks and natural disasters rounded out the list, at 14%, 7% and 3%, respectively.
Statistics provided on the official website of World Backup Day note the following:
- Approximately 113 phones are lost or stolen each minute.
- Of every 10 computers, one is hit with a virus each month.
- 30% of computer and smartphone users have never fully backed up their data.
The best ways to back up
In an interview with business and technology news resource Business.com, Ismail Jadun – founder of World Backup Day – endorsed what's called the 3-2-1 method as a primary backup strategy. This is fairly straightforward: Data should be backed up in three physical locations. Two of these backups should be different formats (perhaps one personal computer, one backup computer and one large-capacity external hard drive could work). Finally, the third should be off-site, either at a separate server from your company's primary server or in the cloud (for your business) or a cloud backup solution (for your personal information).
The advent of cloud storage has in many ways revolutionized the task of backing up data. All of the giants in the tech sector offer cloud storage platforms, such as Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud and Google Drive. One other popular example is Dropbox, an application you can download onto multiple computers and access from anywhere just like you would with other cloud storage platforms.
All of these methods have pros and cons. Cloudwards explains that physical backups─external drives, separate computers, network tape, ect. ─ are one-time purchases and give you complete control over data. But you must protect them using anti-virus software.
On the other hand, cloud storage is effectively unlimited ─ though specific providers will vary in their requirements and storage capacity ─ and you can access your data anywhere on computers and mobile devices. Additionally, many cloud platforms have built-in encryption capabilities. Their primary disadvantage is that you must pay a monthly or annual fee for their upkeep and you lack direct control of the data; thus, if their systems fail, you're in trouble.
Whether backing up your personal information or secure corporate data, only you can know exactly what method will best suit your needs. But one thing is sure: failing to back up is simply not an option!
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