It is a little safer than just being on your computer, because it is synced to the cloud, but you still have only one point of failure-the cloud folder, which could get corrupted or accidentally emptied. If your file only resides in your cloud storage folder, then it is NOT a backup. With some tinkering in the menus, cloning your drive can also be automated on a schedule, to keep a very up-to-date backup drive.Ĭloud synced folders, like Dropbox, OneDrive, Box.com, Copy, or Google Cloud can function as an offsite backup, but there are some caveats.
You can make bootable clones using software like SuperDuper (Mac, $27.95), Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac, $39.95), Acronis True Image (Windows $49.99), or Shadow Copy Cloner (Windows, $39.99). This saves having to restore and re-install software, which can take hours, once you actually get a new computer or hard drive. If your laptop dies, you can plug your bootable backup drive into an available computer and get to work as if you were still using your former computer. You can use this backup drive to restore all your files to a new computer if necessary.Īnother option is to manually clone your hard drive at regular intervals to create a bootable backup.
Whenever your drive is plugged in, this software will automatically backup all the files on your computer, and then update this backup at set intervals (e.g., once every five minutes, or once an hour). Simply plug in an external drive that’s big enough to hold all your files, and run Time Machine (Mac) or Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
If you have a Mac or Windows computer, congratulations! You already own software to set up an automatic onsite backup. That way, if there is a fire, robbery, or flooding from a leaky roof or broken pipe, you have a backup that is far from the site of destruction. Third, make sure that one of your backups is offsite. Don’t use only external drives, or only cloud storage for your backups. Second, you shouldn’t rely solely on one technology. To break this down: first, you should have the primary copy (the one on your computer), and then have two backup copies that are physically located somewhere else (not just in different folders on the same computer).
The 3-2-1 Rule states that you should have:
But, if you follow the 3-2-1 Rule of Backup, you are prepared to save your data, writing, family photos, and personal files in the event of a digital emergency. Besides the natural death of a hard drive (or flash drive), viruses, thefts, spilled beverages, and power surges can cause a catastrophic data loss. The stats on hard drive survival reveal a harsh truth: 1-in-20 drives die within the first year 1-in-5 die within four years half of all hard drives die within 6 years. The question isn’t if your hard drive will fail it’s when will your hard drive fail.
You can find her on Twitter or at her website. Hanna Peacock is a PhD student in Cardiovascular Sciences at the KU Leuven.