What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word backup?

Generally the word backup is used to describe the action of someone when they offer help or support.

For example, in the movies the police may call for backup when they find themselves in a tricky situation too difficult to deal with on their own.

In other situations, backup is synonymous with plan B. When your preferred option for a holiday destination or a restaurant is not available, having plan B allows you to pursue your original plans, but with minor changes.

Employing extra staff during busy periods is another type of backup. It is about having extra resources on standby, ready for work when the load gets too high.

When facing a challenging conversation you may ask your friend to back you up, to support your arguments, and give you a sign of approval.

In music, we often hear of backup artists and backup singers. In this situation instead of replacing, they complement the main act and sing along the main artist, making the sound complete.

Then there are other types of backup — a backup of jobs when you run behind schedule, traffic backup on the way home from work and backup, or blockage in the drain pipe.

The concept of backup is all too familiar in our every day life.

Except one.

There is one type of backup that is often underestimated, misunderstood or just forgotten — backup of computer data files.

Data backup is a process of making additional copy of files for safekeeping or the event when original copies are lost or damaged. It refers to copying digital photos, work documents or any important information — something that if lost, cannot be replaced.

Backing up your home computer, laptop or a mobile phone, will allow you to restore them in a matter of minutes, not days, at a time you most need it.

Buzzwords such as the cloud, data security and file syncing may sound overwhelming, but they are all just labels for tools available out there to copy what’s on your computer in order to put is somewhere safe, but easily accessible in the future.

Think about the value of your family photos, documents and emails and take measures to protect them.

Cloud storage services provided by Google, Dropbox or iCloud are sufficient for files sharing and archiving individual files. However to backup an entire device it may be worthwhile considering software suits such as Acronis True Image with unlimited cloud storage, Apple Time Machine or Windows Backup. It’s all about safety and peace of mind. It is your insurance plan that your data will be there and accessible when you need it. 

This week we celebrate the World Backup Day which aims to educate people around the world about the increasing role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups. According to Acronis research conducted with Google 33% of Australians suffered from data loss at some point, however, only 30% of the respondents claimed they don’t backup their data at all. 29% are concerned about their work-related documents. 

Three simple steps to improving your data protection 

For anyone keeping digital memories and fiduciary documents safe, secure and private, is a responsibility that can be easy and inexpensive to exercise.

1. Always have a backup of a family’s critical data, documents, pictures and videos.
2. Keep your operating systems on the most up-to-date version. Those security patches and software updates are important
3. Be mindful of suspicious emails or clicking on links sent by unknown sources, it could be a phishing scheme or Ransomware.