Don’t Forget to Take Backup: Seagate

It’s World Backup Day on March 31st. Seagate Technology, the worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, reminds users and media about the importance of backup for keeping important files, documents, photos and music safe and secure.

Today’s digital lifestyle can potentially put thousands of people at risk of losing their most valued and precious personal data by simply not performing adequate back-up. Many people do not usually back-up their data because they do not know how or didn’t think it was important enough to.  And, it’s the same for businesses.  From the two-person, home-based business to the large corporations, all businesses need an effective backup plan to ensure adherence to laws and regulations and protect the company’s data against loss.

Protecting data and files by backing up gives you peace of mind and can prevent your irreplaceable records and personal information from being lost, damaged or stolen. And backing up is simple, convenient, and inexpensive, with a variety of external storage options – from sleek and handy portable hard drives to larger network-based dedicated storage systems.

To help consumers and companies protect their digital assets and memories, Seagate recommends a list of the 10 things everyone must know in order to safely back up and protect their data.

1. Anyone can do it! – You do not require a technical consultant or an IT expert. Today’s consumer friendly external drives are easy-to-use – just plug and play – and require only a few clicks to completely back-up all your important files.

2. Computers don’t forget – Throughout a busy week, it is easy to overlook backing up your data.  And the one time you do forget to perform a back up will be the time you wish you did.  So why not automate the process? You can program your computer to automatically back up for you at a time that is convenient to you.

3. You’ve got to have a plan – Different people and organisations have different needs.  If you are a keen photographer, you may need huge amounts of space to store your ever-increasing collection of photos.  For others, it is about protecting the best-selling novel you are working on. For businesses it’s important to consider how much data you have and how fast it is growing. That’s why you should consider your need to create a backup plan that suits you.

4. Keep a copy offsite – For added protection against natural disasters, fire or theft, rotate between two drives with one that is located offsite or use an online storage solution. And today, you have it better still – “Cloud Technology” based services enable you to remotely store your data online.

5. Bare metal restore can save your life! – Apart from your files, it is possible to create a complete mirror of your PC or network. This ensures you’ll have your complete system settings and applications up and running even if you have a system failure or virus attack.

6. Recycle Drives, Not Data – A process should be in place for erasing a hard drive before disposing it off, selling it or reusing it.  Drives which have been used to store critical data should be identified and subjected to extra attention during the data deletion process.

7. Encryption means security – Encryption technology is the most secure and effective way to ensure that critical data doesn’t get into the wrong hands.  Encryption solutions range from software products that encrypt files and folders, to hard drives with embedded security that encrypts the entire drive. Consider vulnerability, complexity and performance to determine the best fit for your data.

8. Feel the Heat! – There are several dos and don’ts when it comes to looking after your external hard drive.  First, it is important to remember that heat is a major reason for a defective hard drive so always ensure your drive has proper ventilation and airflow.

9. Don’t delay your defrag – Defragmenting a drive helps prolong its life, clean up useless stuff that makes the drive work harder, and ensure your data is safe. Part of the defragmentation process is to check the validity of the sectors on the hard drive and if they are not, to move the data to an area of the drive that is working well.

10. Dust, Sand, Water, Shocks – Modern hard disk drives are sealed to prevent dust, and other forms of contamination from interfering with its operation. Moreover, contemporary technology has rendered the drives really rugged and able to withstand all kinds of operating conditions.  However, hard disk drives may not be waterproof. There is also the possibility of something heavy being dropped on the drive, or the drive itself may get dropped.