Back it up!

Although ‘back it up‘ is a phrase often shouted by intoxicated men in an attempt to woo curvaceous females in a club, it also a mantra that we need to begin to incorporate into our social and working lives. Gone are the days where data is tangible and accessible by desks, drawers and folders. Gone are the days where we work in a single location with the ability to pick up information where we last left it. You never know when you will need to find and old invoice or a sent email, so it is important to manage you data.

There are plenty of ways that you can secure your data and have access to it. Below are 5 that I use in order to ensure that at anytime I can access anything that I own from any computer anywhere in the world:

1)      Your computer

You wouldn’t leave your office in a tip, so why would you leave your virtual office in one? Use folders and sub folders to organise your content and use dates and titles so that they are easily searchable. You should do this every so often and undertake spring cleaning where you update, move and delete documents throughout your computer. Your computer is your first line of defence and as it is where you do the majority of your work, it is where the majority of your data is stored. In order for the next 4 options to work, this one needs to be done well.

2)      External hard drive: Amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KSRM0Y/ref=wms_ohs_product_

Buy an external hard drive. In technology there is the theory of Moore’s law which argues that every two years the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits double. I.e. technological components double in efficacy every two years. This theory holds true across a spectrum of technologies, including that of hard drives (see Kyder’s Law), which means that today you can buy lots of storage for not very much at all.

Once you have purchased your hard drive, get into a routine of constantly backing up your data. It may be once a night or once a week depending on how frequently you amend you data; but the key is to get into the habit of doing it. Many hard drives come with software that does all of this for you, backing up your data at pre-defined intervals. If you do this, then when you get a virus after going on naughty websites you needn’t take it to a repair man and risk being mortified in front of your spouse or mother. Instead, if you have backed it all up already, you can wipe your computer and transfer the data back onto it. Dignity and data restored!

3)      Google Drive: Drive.Google.com/

Google Drive is an awesome free service that allows you to create documents online and is best known for its real time collaboration features. However, it can be also be used as a searchable cloud storage area for all of your documents. Once you have completed step 1 above simply upload the folders to Google Drive. When this is complete you can use Google’s outstanding search algorithms to find any document, no matter how hidden away it is. Google Drive will keep the files in the same order and structure that you upload it in, and you can rest assure that if you are out of the country and you need to find a document, it will be in Google Drive.

The service is free, but if you have a seriously significant amount of files you can always buy more storage, or simply open up another Google account and fill use up your allowance there.

4)      Dropbox: Dropbox.com

This is a fantastic service that is incredibly easy to use. I recommend you visit the site and watch the tutorial videos, as they explain what it does very succinctly. Ultimately Dropbox allows you to access folders on your computers anywhere in the world. The interface is simple and you will begin to wonder how you ever lived without it. For people without the time or desire to engage with Google Docs, Dropbox offers a comprehensive and unrivaled user experience. You get 2GB of storage for free, but depending on how much data you want to store, you may wish to buy more.

5)      Backupify: Backupify.com

Backupify is a great service that allows you to backup your online content. The best use of this for your email. If Google’s services are attacked and your data is lost, you may find that you never printed that really important email and you might find yourself in an undesirable position. To avoid this, sign up to Backupify and they will back up your email (as well as a plethora of other services) for you, so that in the unlikely event that your online applications fail, you can still have access to all of you important information.

If you do all or some of the above you will definitely mitigate the risk of ever losing all of your data, and ensure that it is accessible anywhere, anytime. I know what some of you may be thinking. Aren’t you worried about having all of your data with large overseas companies? Are you not fearful that Google can exploit you and hold you ransom seeing as they know so much about you and the sites that you visit? Well… ish. All of those sentiments are valid and are questions that you need to ask yourself before you commit to uploading your information. For me however, the reality is that I trust these services more than I trust myself. Accidents happen. But I believe that accidents are far more likely to happen to me, than companies whose livelihood it is to keep my data safe. There have been countless times where I have lost my data, be it through a virus, a spilled coffee or a lost USB stick. There are few feelings worse then knowing that something you have worked so hard on is gone forever, and from my perspective mistakes are far more likely to happen by my hand than the hand of Google. Regarding the tracking of my online movements and the use of data for advertising purposes, I do not find this too worrying. If am going to be bombarded with advertisements from Google, I would much rather they be of some relevance to me, and I regard this as a small inconvenience to have to endure in return for an outstanding free service.

Therefore, if you want to make sure that you never have the sickening feeling of permanently losing your files, or want to ability to be productive no matter where you are, then these tips should help.