It's always important to ensure that your desktops, laptops and mobile devices are backed up. This not only protects you if you accidentally delete a file, but it can help to protect you if your computer is infected with any malicious software that tries to delete or encrypt your files. It can also help you avoid costly data recovery fees if your devices crash.
Windows 10 and macOS have backup systems built in, File History on Windows and Time Machine on Mac. All you need to get started with these are an external USB hard drive which can be purchased cheaply from online resellers and high street shops. When you connect a new external drive to your Windows or Mac computer, you'll be asked if you want to use it for backup and that's really all there is too it. This is enough to give you one on-site backup and will keep your files safe.
We have a Tekeez Tip on backing up with File History and Time Machine
here.
Both mobile operating systems, Android and iOS have built in cloud backup systems. They just need to be connected to a Google account for Android or an iCloud account for iOS and they'll back up nightly while the device is charging.
You can read our Tekeez Tip about backing up your mobile device
here.
If you store your files in a cloud storage system, such as iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive then you already have a copy in the cloud and this will protect you against those files being lost if your device crashes. iOS devices can also be backed up locally to your PC or Mac by using iTunes so you can ensure that you have another complete backup that way.
There are also more advanced backup systems which can automatically backup your local files from your desktop or laptop to cloud storage and then if anything gets deleted or your computer crashes, the files can be downloaded back to your PC.
You can also create clones of Windows and Mac computers to external disks so that all your files, software and the operating system are all backed up. This is the most comprehensive type of backup and it means you always have a complete copy of your whole machine.
It's best to combine a few of these backup systems to ensure that you have a comprehensive backup solution in place. For example, a File History or Time Machine backup of your computer and storing your files in Dropbox means that you have both a local backup and a cloud backup, which should protect you against most types of data loss or corruption.
If you'd like to discuss your options for backing up your devices and your data, call us now on 0333 023 0001