We all think it won’t happen to us. But unfortunately, almost everyone experiences a significant data loss event at some point. When it’s your personal data, it can be a difficult pill to swallow. But for business owners, the fallout is more than just emotional. There can be serious consequences for losing important information, from business interruption to unhappy customers, and even legal liability issues.
Luckily, it’s easy to back up your data on a regular basis. First of all, know that cloud system storage is available, so that all of your data can be backed up securely off-site. But creating your own hard copy is important, too. In order to store your data on an external drive, just follow these simple instructions (for Windows users).
Choose the right drive. These are available at a variety of price points, but for businesses we recommend choosing one with a high data storage limit. You want to have plenty of room on your drive as your business grows.
Follow the prompts. Plug the drive into your computer, and you should receive a notification immediately. Follow the simple prompts to back up your data.
If you don’t receive this notification automatically, go to your Start menu and type “backup” into the search box. Click on “backup and restore”. Choose your drive from the options, proceed through the default settings (they’re usually fine), and on the last screen select Save Settings and Run Backup.
Wait until the backup is finished before turning off your computer.
Back up your files daily, or more often as needed. It only takes a few moments to back up your files at the end of each work day, so make it a habit to complete this important step before leaving the office.
Store your external drive in a secure place. Remember that all data theft doesn’t necessarily occur online! If your drive is lost or stolen, the fallout will be just as significant. Store the drive in a secure place, where it can’t be stolen, lost, or damaged by fire or flood.
Again, physically backing up your files is a smart thing to do, but Cloud backup offers a third layer of protection. To learn more about offsite, Cloud storage of your important data, give us a call at 888-RING-MY-TECH. We can help you assess your business needs, and make a multi-faceted plan to best protect your important data from loss and theft.
