The slogan for World Backup Day is “Don’t be an April Fool”, but if you’ve ever lost data on one of your devices, you’ve already been a fool at least once. You’re even more of a fool if you haven’t taken steps since that data loss to help prevent it again. Having a backup means having a second copy of your data, and not having that copy in the same place as the original.
What can you do to prevent future data loss? Here are my recommendations.
1. Subscribe to an Online Backup Service
There are several to choose from with various features and costs. The service that I use is Backblaze. Key features include UNLIMITED backup of any storage device connected to your computer. That’s literally HUGE! Today’s high capacity drives have enormous capacity, and having multiple drives full of data adds up fast. The data stays backed up as long as you keep the drive connected to your computer (important to keep in mind).
Backblaze has a mobile app for both Apple and Android that allows you to view/download files on your mobile devices, and even includes sharing capabilities. It’s a way to access data backed up from your desktop via the cloud.
You can restore old versions of a file for 30 days at no additional cost (12 months for an extra 2 dollars a month).
Most importantly, when the inevitable DOES occur (you have a storage drive failure) you have a copy of your files waiting for you on the servers at Backblaze. The fastest way to get large amounts of data back is to order an external USB hard disk drive from Backblaze with your data on it via the postal system. The second option is to download your data directly from Backblaze. This method won’t be preferred for most people because of the amount of time it takes to download massive amounts of data (I’m speaking from my own experience). If you return the USB drive to Backblaze within 30 days of them sending it to you, they’ll refund the cost of the drive back to you!
What will this service cost you? If you pay for 24 months of protection at a time, you’re looking at about $4.58 a month for UNLIMITED backup of your computer and all storage drives attached to it! I’ve used the service for several years now, and find it to be the best featured and affordable system for the complete backup of my primary desktop system. The best part has been the ability to avoid that sinking feeling when the system drive on that computer failed a few years ago. I didn’t have to worry at all!
2. Automatic Backup of Mobile Device Photos and Videos
I can’t tell you the number of times someone has come to me with a completely destroyed phone, wondering if there was any way to get the photos and videos out of their device. I have all of my media students install this app during the first week of every class: Google Photos.
Google Photos will run on both Apple and Android and its use is simple. After installing and launching the app, it will automatically upload copies of all photos and videos taken via any of the mobile devices you use in which you have the app installed on.
Here are a couple of things to note about the service.
First, under the default settings, you get unlimited backup of your media at what Google calls a “High” quality, and it is very decent quality, but it’s not the original resolution your phone or tablet took the picture in. In other words, it’s not the full or “original” quality. For that level of protection you need to set the app to use your Google Drive storage. All Google users get 15GB of Drive storage with their free, personal Google Accounts. Once that amount is full, you’ll have to pay Google for additional storage if you want to choose to have Google save the original, full quality of your photos and videos. I’ve been using the free level of service for a handful of years, and it works for me because it’s a backup of everything on my mobile devices. About once a year, I take the time to make a complete backup of everything on my phone so I have another copy of my content in its original, full quality. If you’re interested in purchasing additional storage from Google, you’ll find that the company offers extra storage at very reasonable cost.
Secondly, by default, backup will only occur while you’re connected to wi-fi to prevent using up your phone’s data plan (you can elect to use the data plan if you pay for unlimited data).
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication on your Online Accounts
This one is more about data and account security than backup, but isn’t keeping your data safe what we’re talking about here? Online data storage is no good if someone is able to guess/figure out what your passwords are. Enabling Two-Factor authentication helps protect your accounts from hackers by asking for verification for access in addition to a correctly entered password.
The simplest way companies do this is by sending a text message to your phone after a correct password is entered while trying to sign-in to an online service. A person can’t gain access without the one-time-use code that gets sent to your phone. The phone/text method of two-factor authentication isn’t perfect, but it’s better than not having any two-factor system in place. A process called “SIM Jacking” (also known as SIM Swapping) can be used in order for a hacker to receive the authentication code, but this requires the hacker to contact your mobile phone provider, pretend to be you, convince them that you lost your phone (or otherwise need your phone number transferred to a new SIM card) and the phone service representative needs to be fooled the rouse. A hacker has to go to a lot of trouble to go through this (and succeed) so again, the text message method of two-factor authentication is better than not having it at all. Read this article from Wired Magazine for tips on how to prevent being a victim of Sim Jacking.
I hope these tips will help you keep your data more secure. Happy Backup Day!
What can you do to prevent future data loss? Here are my recommendations.
1. Subscribe to an Online Backup Service
There are several to choose from with various features and costs. The service that I use is Backblaze. Key features include UNLIMITED backup of any storage device connected to your computer. That’s literally HUGE! Today’s high capacity drives have enormous capacity, and having multiple drives full of data adds up fast. The data stays backed up as long as you keep the drive connected to your computer (important to keep in mind).
Backblaze has a mobile app for both Apple and Android that allows you to view/download files on your mobile devices, and even includes sharing capabilities. It’s a way to access data backed up from your desktop via the cloud.
You can restore old versions of a file for 30 days at no additional cost (12 months for an extra 2 dollars a month).
Most importantly, when the inevitable DOES occur (you have a storage drive failure) you have a copy of your files waiting for you on the servers at Backblaze. The fastest way to get large amounts of data back is to order an external USB hard disk drive from Backblaze with your data on it via the postal system. The second option is to download your data directly from Backblaze. This method won’t be preferred for most people because of the amount of time it takes to download massive amounts of data (I’m speaking from my own experience). If you return the USB drive to Backblaze within 30 days of them sending it to you, they’ll refund the cost of the drive back to you!
What will this service cost you? If you pay for 24 months of protection at a time, you’re looking at about $4.58 a month for UNLIMITED backup of your computer and all storage drives attached to it! I’ve used the service for several years now, and find it to be the best featured and affordable system for the complete backup of my primary desktop system. The best part has been the ability to avoid that sinking feeling when the system drive on that computer failed a few years ago. I didn’t have to worry at all!
2. Automatic Backup of Mobile Device Photos and Videos
I can’t tell you the number of times someone has come to me with a completely destroyed phone, wondering if there was any way to get the photos and videos out of their device. I have all of my media students install this app during the first week of every class: Google Photos.
Google Photos will run on both Apple and Android and its use is simple. After installing and launching the app, it will automatically upload copies of all photos and videos taken via any of the mobile devices you use in which you have the app installed on.
Here are a couple of things to note about the service.
First, under the default settings, you get unlimited backup of your media at what Google calls a “High” quality, and it is very decent quality, but it’s not the original resolution your phone or tablet took the picture in. In other words, it’s not the full or “original” quality. For that level of protection you need to set the app to use your Google Drive storage. All Google users get 15GB of Drive storage with their free, personal Google Accounts. Once that amount is full, you’ll have to pay Google for additional storage if you want to choose to have Google save the original, full quality of your photos and videos. I’ve been using the free level of service for a handful of years, and it works for me because it’s a backup of everything on my mobile devices. About once a year, I take the time to make a complete backup of everything on my phone so I have another copy of my content in its original, full quality. If you’re interested in purchasing additional storage from Google, you’ll find that the company offers extra storage at very reasonable cost.
Secondly, by default, backup will only occur while you’re connected to wi-fi to prevent using up your phone’s data plan (you can elect to use the data plan if you pay for unlimited data).
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication on your Online Accounts
This one is more about data and account security than backup, but isn’t keeping your data safe what we’re talking about here? Online data storage is no good if someone is able to guess/figure out what your passwords are. Enabling Two-Factor authentication helps protect your accounts from hackers by asking for verification for access in addition to a correctly entered password.
The simplest way companies do this is by sending a text message to your phone after a correct password is entered while trying to sign-in to an online service. A person can’t gain access without the one-time-use code that gets sent to your phone. The phone/text method of two-factor authentication isn’t perfect, but it’s better than not having any two-factor system in place. A process called “SIM Jacking” (also known as SIM Swapping) can be used in order for a hacker to receive the authentication code, but this requires the hacker to contact your mobile phone provider, pretend to be you, convince them that you lost your phone (or otherwise need your phone number transferred to a new SIM card) and the phone service representative needs to be fooled the rouse. A hacker has to go to a lot of trouble to go through this (and succeed) so again, the text message method of two-factor authentication is better than not having it at all. Read this article from Wired Magazine for tips on how to prevent being a victim of Sim Jacking.
I hope these tips will help you keep your data more secure. Happy Backup Day!