Despite your best efforts, something bad can happen to your computer. Hardware or software failures in addition to security threats can make your data disappear. The best protection against such events is an adequate backup strategy.
Manual Backups
The practice of manually backing up your data consists of manually copying your data from one location to another, or to another device. This could be copying files to a flash drive, external hard drive, or even copying the files to another computer. This process, though time consuming, is usually the first step in backing up your data. However, it is important to note that portable storage options, such as flash drives and external hard drives, can be lost, stolen, or even break. For this reason, it is important to have multiple backups of your most important data.
Software Solutions
If you have a substantial amount of data you need to backup, or regularly update or create lots of files, you may be best off with a software backup solution. For personal use, there are many free and premium services at your disposal with a wide variety of features. For instance, UNI utilizes Google Drive for its online data storage solution, which provides unlimited storage for its users. Google Drive also enables the University to use Google Drive File Stream to automatically backup any data the user chooses. For more information on Google Drive File Steam, please contact your local IT-Client Services support team.
Secure Network Locations
Another option is to use the UNI network to store your data. By default, UNI creates multiple backups of the data stored on the network. This may be the best option for people who store and access sensitive information, as determined by the UNI Data Classification Policy.
In all cases, it is important to use sound judgment when choosing when and where to backup your files. The best policy is to "backup your backup's backup." Backup your most important files in multiple locations, so that even in the worst situations, you will have them when you need them.
