Most of the things that you need to accomplish in school, at work, or even in your business involves the use of your computer. Aside from the files that you use for these purposes, it is often the case that you also store your data on your computer. Imagine if your computer suddenly reaches the end of its working life, or it gets infected with a virus or a malware wiping away all your data. This can be quite catastrophic, particularly if you don't have a backup of your data. In this case, below are some of the ways how you can easily backup the data on your computer according to The Emotional Computer Repair Company.

Use an External Storage Device

One of the most common ways to back up the data on your computer is by using an external storage device. In this case, you can use your computer's built-in backup features to transfer or duplicate your internal data to the external storage device. Depending on the amount of data that you want to copy over, there is the option for you to use a universal serial bus (USB) device or an external hard drive. The former usually has a limited storage capacity while the latter often has a greater one.

To start the backup process, just plug in your external storage device to one of the ports on your computer. After this, activate the built-in backup feature of your computer. For computers powered by Windows 8 or Windows 10, you can use File History. For computers running on Windows 7, you can use Windows Backup, while for Mac computers, you can use Time Machine. You can configure your computer's backup tool to run automatically as soon as your external device storage is plugged in.

This backup method is fast and inexpensive. It proves to be quite simple too. However, when your external storage device gets lost or damaged along with your computer, then all your data will be lost too.

Leverage the Internet

Aside from an external storage device, you can also backup your data over the internet. In this case, you need to explore backup services, but you need to pay for a monthly or annual service fee, depending on your subscription. Nevertheless, you can work without any interruptions because these services run in the background of your computers. You can expect these services to automatically backup your data into their web storage, where you can access through the service as necessary if you need to retrieve your files.

The main advantage of leveraging the internet to back up your data is that it can protect you from various instances of data loss such as hard drive failure, theft, or even natural disasters. However, you need to shell out a certain sum for the service which can prove to be costly in some instances. Additionally, your initial backup may also take a significant amount of time to complete, particularly if you are transferring numerous files.

Consider a Cloud Storage Service

You also have the option of using a cloud storage service to back up the data on your computer. With this service, you can save files from your computer in your online account and it will be automatically synchronized over the web, such that when you open your online account on another computer, all your files will still be there.

Some platforms allow their users to choose where they want to store their data, whether in servers situated in Europe or the United States. In terms of the former, the best cloud storage in Europe have servers based in Switzerland, where the policies in terms of the privacy and security of personal data are extremely stringent. It is often the case that this option is only offered to business users, but the best platforms offer the option of choosing which server to use to their users for free.

The main advantage of using a cloud storage service is that it is not only easy, but it is fast too. In some instances, you will be able to access the service for free, although you are also given the option to unlock premium features for a certain fee. This is also true if you need more storage capacity. The best part is that a cloud storage service protects you from various cases of data loss.

Best Practices

Use Multiple Methods

To ensure that you will always have your data whenever you need it, it is a good idea to use multiple backup storage methods. For instance, you can save your files both in an external storage device, as well as in a cloud storage service frequently. In parallel to this, you can also do a periodic update using an internet backup service. With all the backup methods used in conjunction, you are sure that you will be able to preserve your data.

Back-up Regularly

Another best practice when it comes to data backup is doing it regularly. More often than not, a regular data backup eliminates the need for you to transfer lots of files which can take a long period to complete. Aside from this, when you back up regularly, you will have the opportunity to retrieve the latest data that you need. If you don't back up regularly, you can miss several data and only retrieve those until the point of your last data backup. It will also be a good idea to automatically perform your data backup.

There are several ways to back-up the data on your computer effortlessly. One, you can use an external storage device. Two, there is also the option for you to leverage the internet to have a data backup. Still, you can explore cloud storage services to ensure that you have the data that you need when you need it. It is even better if you use multiple methods with your data backup and alongside this, perform a regular backup as well. All these will ensure that there will be minimal disruption in your tasks in case of any unfortunate mishap occurring on your computer.

One piece filler list