We keep more and more personal data on digital media: on our personal computer, on a laptop, our mobile phone, tablets, etc. This data can be of a personal or professional nature or we may simply want to save it just for the sake of it, for no other special reason. And while today’s hard drives and SSDs are very reliable, there are always other reasons we can lose data: mechanical or electronic failure, human error, and even malware. And when our data disappears is when the problems begin, especially if we do not have a backup .
Depending on how and why our data has been lost, we can recover it more or less easily. For example, if they have only been erased from the surface of the disk (for example, when emptying the trash) we can easily recover them with free programs. If the data has been lost after accidental formatting, we will have to resort to professional programs or forensic data recovery companies, already having to pay a significant amount of money. And if they have been hijacked by a ransomware (as has happened with the SEPE), then surely we have to give them up for lost.
But all this can be remedied very easily if we have a backup.
What are backup copies, or backup
As its name suggests, a backup, or backup, is a backup of our most important data so that, if the originals are lost or damaged, we can recover them without headaches. Despite the fact that backups are talked about very often, and it seems that we are all aware of them, only 10% of users take them into account in their day to day life. And then come the problems.
Backup types
Backups, broadly speaking, can be manual or automatic.
The manuals are the most rudimentary, since they are based on taking all the data and copying them one by one by hand to the new medium. It is true that with them we do not depend on any type of program, but we run the risk of forgetting to copy certain files, since the mind can play tricks on us.
On the other hand, automatic backups are those that, once configured, we can forget about them. To do them, it is necessary to resort to a backup program that allows us to choose when we want to safeguard our data and, once configured, let the program take care of everything. These types of programs also allow us to create different types of copies (complete, differential, incremental, etc.) and have advanced functions that allow us, for example, to apply encryption to the data.
Some of the programs that we can use to make automatic backups are:
- Aomei Backupper (which we can also download for free today)
- EaseUS Todo Backup Free
- Paragon Backup & Recovery
- Duplicate
The cloud: an increasingly useful option
Every time we have faster Internet connections , and not only on the PC, but we can also have a 4G or 5G data network from our mobile. Thanks to these networks we can always be connected and access our data wherever we are. Therefore, the cloud is increasingly playing a leading role in our day-to-day life.
There are many cloud storage servers that are ideal for storing our data safely. OneDrive , for example, is the Microsoft cloud included in Windows 10 where we can save our most important data and files. Google Drive , on the other hand, is the best integrated alternative within the Android ecosystem. iCloud is the essential storage platform if we use Apple devices. And finally, Mega , with its 50 GB of free storage, is perfect for those looking for privacy when backing up data.
The 3-2-1 rule for reliable backup
Do you want to shield your data and make sure it is never lost, no matter what? So what we have to do is apply the 3-2-1 rule . This is one of the essential rules that any company that wants to protect its data must apply, and it can also be used to make reliable backups.
Broadly speaking, what this rule is about is to make 3 backups of our data. Two of them must be stored on different devices (for example, on two different external hard drives). And the third of them kept in a different physical place (in another house, in the cloud, etc).
In this way, we will be protected against any possible problem. For example, if one of the hard drives breaks, we will have the second to recover the data. In case both are damaged (a fire, flood, etc), we will still have a copy in another place to turn to.
A few weeks ago an OVH server center burned down, and all the companies that relied on this cloud to save their data lost it without the possibility of recovering it. Only those who bet on the 3-2-1 rule would have a safe copy.
