Ways to Back Up Your Data

Imagine how you would feel having burnt the midnight oil preparing your work presentation, only to wake up the next morning to find your computer has crashed. Depressing, right? Well, you can avoid all this trouble by ensuring that you backup your data. Today, some impressive ways and services allow you to backup your files and databases. Backing up your computer is imperative. Why? Malware or ransomware could leave you in a fix, and you may end up losing your files forever. You might have heard a lot of ways to backup data, and it is up to you to select the preferred method for you. This article will cover the unique ways to backup your data.

Cloud storage

One of the most efficient ways to backup your data is through cloud storage services. These services keep your data safe through end-to-end encryption. There are some that offer you these services for free, while there are those that charge you, mostly when you need additional space. Some of the distinguished storage services include Ottomatik, Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive among others.

Interestingly, you can access these services from your desktop or mobile device. You also need to keep in mind that these services offer different storage capacities; therefore, you should ensure to settle with a service that suits your amount of data. One of the best things about cloud storage services is that you can access your data from any location. Sadly, you have to have internet access to access the files that you have backed up.

Use a USB flash drive

Another great way to keep your data safe is by storing it on a USB flash drive. Some of the best things about a USB stick is that it is portable, affordable, and convenient. Its small size allows you to put it in any of your pockets, including your wallet to travel with it to wherever you are going. Today, USB flash drives have different capacities, allowing you to store as much data as you would like. Unfortunately, their small size makes them easy to lose, and that’s why you cannot depend on them for long-term storage, especially if you travel a lot and have stored crucial data. That notwithstanding, USB flash drives also have capacity limitations, plus they have durability issues. Despite all these, they are an ideal way to backup your data.

Use an external hard drive

Long gone are the days where you only had to rely on your computer’s internal hard drive to store your data. Today, you can backup your crucial data in an external hard drive, which is also portable. External hard drives are connected to your computer every once in a while when you want to transfer data. As backup devices, it is advisable not to connect them to your computer too often. Most of them are wired devices, but you can also find those that have wireless capabilities. Interestingly, they also have USB 3.0 capabilities, and they are very easy to use. Unfortunately, external drives that have a large capacity may be a little expensive.

Save it in a Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Ultimately, this is one of the unique, but most effective ways to backup your data. It is normally a server that is dedicated to saving your data. Most businesses have adopted NAS because it is an ideal method for those who would like to backup files and databases from more than one source. Its popularity has grown, while its prices have reduced. It is a device that is easy to use as soon as it is configured. Moreover, you can find a wired or wireless option, plus you can set it to back up your data automatically. Unfortunately, they are a bit pricey.

Use a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc

One of the ways to store data that remains relevant up to date is burning your files to a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. However, this method has become less popular because of the technological advances, but it is still efficient. One of the best things about this option is that they hardly fail. Moreover, you can store your CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc in a different location. Unfortunately, these drives have data limitations, and they are time intensive when it comes to managing the data.

Conclusion

Today, you have a lot of options to choose from when you want to backup your files and databases. Some of the best ways to do this are mentioned in this article, and now it is up to you to choose the one that best suits your needs. You have to ensure that you are well aware of the upsides and downsides of each storage method before settling with one.