Backing up your data is essential these days as cybercrimes are on the rise, and anything can happen to your device. It is also essential to regularly back up your data, both on-site and off-site.
When buying a drive for backing up your data, you don’t need to worry about the drive’s speed. A slower 5,400-rpm drive is fine, and cheaper too. Since the backup software runs in the background, you probably won’t notice the slower speed. It is recommended to get the largest backup drive you can afford. Incremental backups save disk space by backing up only the files that have changed since the last backup. However, you need a larger drive for backups than whatever is on your PC. A good rule of thumb is to get a backup drive that’s two, or even three, times the size of the drive in your computer.
A good backup system runs without you needing to do a thing. These days, there is software that can automate all of your backup tasks. Mac users should use Time Machine, which is a wonderfully simple piece of software and possibly the best reason to buy a Mac. Apple has good instructions on how to set up Time Machine so it will make daily backups to your external hard drive. Windows backup, which is available in Windows 11, will back up most of your personal data to your Microsoft account, but it isn’t intended to fully restore your system, should a hard drive fail.
For off-site backups, using the “cloud” is essential. It is a backup that covers the worst-case scenario of physical destruction. However, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Sync.com are not good for backups. When you change a file on your computer, those changes are then synced to Dropbox, which means if a file becomes corrupted, the corruption is then sent to Dropbox and cascades through all your backups. A good backup never changes. You copy the file to the backup, and then it’s never touched again.
Backing up your data on-site and off-site is essential these days due to cybercrimes and unforeseen accidents. A slower drive is fine as backup software runs in the background, and you won’t notice the slower speed. Get a larger backup drive than whatever is on your PC and automate your backup tasks with software. Mac users should use Time Machine, while Windows backup is available in Windows 11. Use the “cloud” for off-site backups, but don’t use Dropbox, Google Drive, or Sync.com. A good backup never changes, so copy the file to the backup and leave it untouched.
