140,000 hard drives fail in the US every week! We’ve all experienced that sinking feeling when a laptop or PC dies and along with it so do our photos and documents. Years and years of precious memories and work disappear in a flash, but with the proper precautions, this can be avoided. There are multiple storage options on the market, all of which have their own specific benefits. Let’s take a look and find out more about how to keep important files and documents safe from computer failure.
1. USB Sticks
A great way to make safe, secure and affordable backups of your data is to make use of the humble USB stick. A good quality USB stick with a decent amount of memory can be a real lifesaver when it comes to freeing up your devices of photos and documents. USB sticks are an inexpensive and simple way to keep backups of files to hand in the event that your devices fail. One drawback though is that USB sticks do tend to be on the smaller side in both memory and size, making them both easy to fill up fast and misplace.
2. Recovery
It is, of course, possible in an emergency to have a specialist work on recovering lost data from a PC or Laptop and in many cases, those with experience in doing so will be able to retrieve your data. This does come at a cost, however, and can be quite expensive. Secure Data Recovery has a wealth of information on whether devices are encrypted, as well as how to best manage, store and share data from your devices in the safest possible way. Taking the time to read up on this will stand you in good stead for ensuring your machines are functioning well and are less likely to require the assistance of an expert in the first place.
3. External Hardrive
A good alternative to USB sticks, especially when looking to store larger amounts of data, is an external hard drive. These have really come down in price in recent years and good quality branded external hard drives with a memory of around 1TB can be picked up for less than $50. If you’re looking to back up data such as video or high-quality photography, then this is a viable and relatively low-cost option.
4. Cloud Storage
One of the most versatile methods for backing up data is to rely on cloud storage. Doing so will allow you to tailor the amount of storage you purchase to the amount you need, meaning you’ll never have too much or too little. If your storage requirements fluctuate for any reason, then with cloud storage you’ll easily be able to adapt at a moment’s notice. A slight downside to this method is that in order to reach your data, you’ll need to be connected to the internet, so if your work takes you to remote places then having access to a hard drive might be best.
There are several solutions to ensuring your information is safe. Take the time to backup your data properly so you don’t struggle to retrieve important information when it really is too late.
