Backing Up: The Smart Business Choice
About a year and a half ago, my computer died, taking with it 80 gigs of information. That included a year of photos of my first son and the earliest pictures of my second. I was devastated. We had some of the photos backed up on DVDs, but many were lost, along with precious videos and a ton of other information.
I don`t know about you, but all my business information is on my computer. It`s convenient and easy to get to, but if something happens to my hard drive, I`m toast. Or at least I would be if I didn`t have backups of everything!
Backing your computer up is vital. As they say, “it`s not IF your computer fails, it`s WHEN”. And when the time comes, will you have everything safely stored away?
You have a few options for keeping your information safe.
Online Backup
This is by far the easiest method, since you basically set it up and it will automatically back everything up for you. For me, this is the best option . . . I tend to get distracted with kids and work and forget to actually DO the backups!
Backblaze is the system that I`m currently using. It is super easy to use, since all you do is download their application. Everything is backed up automatically and kept safe with military grade encryption. While I`m a bit nervous about passwords and stuff (I keep that on paper in a folder), it`s ideal for everything else, including photos of my boys and business info.
Oh, and it`s just $5 a month per computer, so you really can`t go wrong! If you`re looking for an automatic, online backup system, then you should certainly check out Backblaze.
External Hard Drive
This is my husband`s preferred method of backing up. Personally, I find it a bit unwieldy and I know for a fact that it`s been over two weeks since he did a backup. 
However, if you want to make a one time purchase and pick and choose what you`re going to save, then this could be the option for you.
An external hard drive plugs into your computer, but can be stored elsewhere. Just dump your vital files onto it and you`re good to go. Just remember to do it on a regular basis!
DVDS/CDS
This is another option for backing things up, but I have to say that in my personal experience, it`s not a good method. It`s cheap, which is nice, but not terribly safe. More than once, I`ve popped a burned DVD into my computer only to discover that it has been damaged and the information can no longer be accessed.
While DVDs and CDs might be a good low cost method to store your information to transfer from one place to another, I don`t recommend it for long term use and backups. They are too unstable and you risk losing it all again.
If you do go with this method, then be careful to treat your backup discs with respect. Store them in CD cases in an area where they won`t be exposed to extreme temperatures (or small children!).
There are other methods of backing up your computer and all that business information you have stored there, but these are the three most common. Of the different methods, having an external hard drive or remote online backups are the best.
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I prefer online backups too – so easy, cheap and you never have to worry about it. My hubby’s hard drive failed in the Fall, so it reconfirmed my love of the online backup. Of course, he still hasn’t backed anything up again!!
Lol, Christie! My husband is the same way . . . they seem to think they are invincible!