According to a recent survey, fewer than 6% of us backup the data on our computers.
That's amazing, considering the number of people telling us to backup.
It's even more amazing when you consider the FBI's statement that over 1,000,000 laptops are stolen every year.
If your laptop is stolen, without a backup copy of your data, you are out of business.
Our lives are extremely vulnerable to loss of our computers and the data stored there.
Natural disasters, theft, and damage from a simple tilt of the coffee cup in the wrong direction all have the potential to take you out of the game temporarily or possibly permanently, depending on how critical the data is.
Even if you backup your data in those situations, it's highly likely that it will be corrupted or damaged somehow.
Needless to say, it is essential that we change those statistics, at least for us, and start backing up our data.
There are a number of ways to get that done, but for your plan to work, it must contain at least these 3 elements: 1.
Stored on reliable media 2.
The copy must be stored remotely (somewhere else) 3.
The backup must occur every time you update your files or add to them This is easier said than done.
If you opt to use traditional backup sources, like jump drives or external hard drives, you have covered #1, because you are storing your data on time-tested media that will store your data for a long long time without degrading.
However, with jumps or external devices, you have the additional problem of taking care of the other 2 obstacles - finding a place to remotely store it and you must discipline yourself to backup when you update files, etc.
While you certainly can devise a solution that works in your life, according to the statistics, most people don't do it.
The problem I think is, the payoff is nebulous and way way out in the future...
it's part of the, "this won't happen to me" way of thinking that causes us to put off health concerns and healthier eating till tomorrow.
Online backup however, gets us over those obstacles and it is typically $60-$100 a year.
Once you set up an online strategy by using Mozy, Carbonite, or SugarSync, your data will be stored encrypted and remotely, on more reliable media that is meticulously scrutinized for any signs of potential failure.
The strongest selling point for online however, is the fact that your backups are done automatically from now on.
In other words, you don't have to think about when am I going to backup?, where did I put the external drive?, and you won't put it off till tomorrow.
Bottom line is, the problems with traditional data backup and the obstacles that it presents are generic to the human condition and aren't going to change.
To err is human and we can't help it...
Online is the best way to check this item off your list and sleep better.