If you’re a person who’s embraced current technology, everything – I mean everything – is on your computer! From financial information, photos, documents, schedules…every detail and communication is stored on, run by and chronicled in that little box. It’s a great convenience to be able to rely on computers to make life more productive and convenient and help us communicate, work and play, but could you actually put a value on all that is contained on your computer? Incalculable, priceless, inestimable…
Now, consider the consequences of the loss of the data contained on your computer. Devastating doesn’t begin to describe it. Imagine, losing videos of your children, their school projects and beloved movies and music files, your banking and investment information and your precious collection of Grandma’s recipes? It would be as significant a loss to your personal property as a house fire or burglary.
It’s as important to safeguard that precious data as it is any other valuable possession you would insure. There are solutions available to keep your computer’s data secure. They do cost some money, but this is an instance where spending a little can save you a lot.
Data loss can occur from any of the following:
- Computer crash
- Virus
- Destruction (by fire, flood, earthquake, etc.)
- Breakage
- Theft
Even if an external occurrence doesn’t claim your computer’s data, those in the know say that it isn’t a matter of, “if” your hard drive will fail, but, “when.” That alone is reason enough to take the issue of computer backups seriously.
Backing up data is as simple as making a copy of your files. While it’s true that you can backup your data yourself to a cd, dvd or external hard drive, it’s recommended that backups are performed regularly, and for security reasons, stored in a different location than the computer itself. The most reliable way to ensure that backups are performed regularly and stored securely is to subscribe to a service that backs up your data and stores it offsite.
Some of the services that provide data backup and restoration services are Mozy, Carbonite and Backblaze. They offer data backup for as little as $5 – $10 per month.
While that sounds like a real bargain – and a load off your mind – do keep this scenario in mind:
Say you accidentally deleted your checkbook program. You could simply download a backed up version of that file to restore your data relatively quickly and at no additional cost.
On the other hand, say your computer was completely destroyed by a flood and all of your files were obliterated. In this case, you need to restore all your data onto a new computer from the backups available through the service you use. A whole computer’s-worth of data, however, might literally take weeks to download. The more efficient and desirable, yet costly, solution is to have your backup service send you all your data on either a cd or external hard drive. This option is available at an additional cost of $100 – $200, depending upon the format you choose.
While it’s true that technology can cause us some extra expenses, it may be useful to think of computer backups in the same terms as any insurance coverage: The monthly charge for your data backup is like the premium, which you pay no matter what. The extra charge for quick data restoration is like the deductible which applies only when you incur a loss.
It’s not a big expense to do the responsible thing and have your computer’s data securely backed up. It’s a wise – and ultimately frugal – investment.
How much is your data worth?
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