Users of electronic devices handle a huge and varied amount of data on a daily basis -files, photos, video, music, games, etc.- that must be easily accessible and properly maintained to avoid negative consequences, should these data is affected by any of the many risks to which they are exposed. These consequences generate great frustration for private users and their implications in the business environment can even impact operations and revenue generation.
Toshiba recalls that, despite this and as different studies show, still today the majority of people do not back up their data on a regular basis and, what is even more worrying, a large proportion of the population never backs up security, leaving them exposed to the threat of data loss.
On World Backup Day, which is celebrated every March 31, Toshiba advocates for a 3-2-1 backup strategy. The 3-2-1 rule consists of making three backup copies of the data, on two different storage media, and hosting one of the copies off-site, generally in the cloud. This approach is also the one promoted by the organizers of this day, which gains weight year after year and whose objective is to make individuals and companies aware of the importance of backup copies and to promote the adoption of this practice on a regular basis.
Reasons for regular backup
Raising awareness of the reasons for adopting the practice of regularly backing up data is a priority for Toshiba. Among these reasons is the fact that electronic products, including laptops, smartphones and tablets, are a target for criminals and can be stolen, along with the data stored on them. And, in addition to running the risk of being stolen, these devices can also be accidentally misplaced.
An additional reason is found in the proliferation of malware. According to Statista figures, the number of malware attacks continues to rise, approaching 6 billion a year.
On the other hand, electronic devices, especially at the end of their useful life, can fail. And don’t forget human error either, which remains one of the causes of data loss given the ease with which saved files can be mistakenly deleted.
Formulate a backup strategy
Although there is no single formula for backing up, there are several factors that must be considered before determining the regularity of backups, the most appropriate storage methods, and where to locate storage resources.
As for the type of storage, although users turn to USB flash drives for their portability and convenience, external hard drives (HDD) are a more robust option, with higher capacity and faster operation. Budget, performance, capacity, interoperability, and security will affect HDD selection, as will aesthetics and form factor.
It should be noted that if the user chooses a solution with the automatic backup configuration function, he will not have to worry about performing them himself. After configuring how often files/folders should be backed up, it will be done automatically.
Helpful backup tips
As Toshiba shows in this video, there are several ways to maximize your backup strategy, starting with determine your frequency. Thus, for creatives continually adding new materials to their storage pools, and for consultants dealing with business-critical information, frequent backups are a must: a backup every few days, or at least once a week. . For students doing research projects or assignments, it is also important to make regular copies so as not to risk losing the result of many hours of work.
After establishing the regularity, it is necessary to keep backup scheme fixed. Often people mean well, but after a while they abandon the scheduled backup schedule. It is also recommended perform incremental backups between primary backups. In this type of backup, only the changes made to the data since the last full backup are saved; which speeds up and simplifies the process.
Together with the definition of a backup strategy, it is also necessary to think about data recovery Since, in the event of an incident, it will be essential to know how to restore them. This should be taken into account before and not after the data loss has occurred.
It is also very important to be aware that having all the data in one place will make it very vulnerable. In the event of a fire, flood, or theft, even if data has been duplicated and stored on two different devices, both could be lost at the same time. For this reason, Toshiba is a great supporter of the 3-2-1 backup strategy and considers it vital to have a third backup in a different location. This will require storing the data, in addition to the cloud, on an external hard drive, such as the Advance model of Toshiba’s Canvio family.
Finally, Toshiba reminds that, before carrying out a full backup, it is prudent perform a cleanup of stored data. Documents and applications that are no longer relevant should be removed, as well as temporary files and cookies, which will only take up space unnecessarily. This practice will speed up backup procedures and allow storage capacity to be available for future needs.
