Two is one and one is none - The importance of backups

For most of us, at least some portion of our life is stored exclusively on our devices. Whether its your contacts and passwords saved on your phone or thousands of family photos on your computer, having a backup plan is crucial to preventing the devastation of losing precious data.

When it comes to backups, the rule of thumb is two is one and one is none.

This means that putting all of your eggs in one basket, essentially, is a risky move even though you may think your data is safely backed up. Tools like iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive are excellent tools for ensuring continuity of your information, but even these have their risks. What happens if you forget the passwords or are locked out of your account? Do you want your family members to be able to access your files if something happened? Are you certain these services are keeping up their backups of your newest data?

Keep backups on the cloud and on a physical device

What about physical backups? An external drive is one of the best investments you can make. In fact, multiple drives are exponentially better. Using an external drive with a program like Time Machine can make sure each and every file and setting are saved on an hourly basis, helping you recover from disaster or create an exact clone when getting a new device. For crucial information, keep a drive at your home or office for quick recovery and store another drive off-site for safe-keeping. On a personal note, I even have a drive saved in my safety-deposit box with some of my most valuable data, ensuring its security.

A cloud backup or a physical backup is a great start to saving your information, but combining the two is an ideal plan to save your information, memories and sensitive information.

For assistance on how to start a backup or for recommendations for your specific needs, please reach out to me at brandon@brandongoodwinit.com or 805-285-2127 for a free consultation.