If you use a computer on a daily basis, it is likely that you know how important regular backups are. However, most people aren’t as regular with their backups as they probably should be, meaning that they are very vulnerable to loss of data due to some hardware or software error, as well as potential cyber-attacks.
Whereas what you do with your personal computer is largely your own responsibility, things become slightly different when it comes to work computers – if you don’t back up and lose data, it is valuable company data that might be critical to the company.
So, we reached out to tech support experts from San Diego, The Computer Admin to share some of the biggest pitfalls with backing up your work computer.
Not Having a Company-Wide Plan
If the company itself doesn’t have a clear policy about backups and relies on its workers to be regular with backups, this sends a wrong message to workers who may be less punctual with backups and ultimately lose valuable data.
Instead, the company should provide some guidelines at the least, and a comprehensive plan in the best-case scenario.
Relying on Local Backup Alone
A backup drive or server in your company’s headquarters is a pretty good solution – all of the data can be found in the same place and people who need it can access it at any time. However, running just a local backup has the same potential to fail as not having a backup at all.
The drive or drives in your local server may be affected by the same problem as the computers in your office, whether it be a power surge that knocks out the power or a cyber-attack that disables your devices.
That’s why a cloud-based backup may be the best solution – it keeps your data safe and away from your physical location, but also accessible from anywhere in the world, which is another added benefit – you can resume work from just about any corner of the world.
Not Checking the State of Your Backup Plan Periodically
Most people will set up a good backup strategy and just leave it running in the background. And theoretically, it should work. However, the real world is messy and issues do occur, including with your backup.
In order to ensure that your backup plan really works, check up on it periodically. If you are unfamiliar with how to check your backup, consult your developers or reach out to outside computer administrators and consultants.
Relying On Last Generation Software and Hardware
When it comes to backups, many consider them just a contingency that is not likely to ever be used and thus they don’t really want to pay the price for the latest technology. Instead, they will opt for the cheaper, less modern options.
And while there is some merit in using yesterday’s technologies (such as hard drives instead of the more modern solid-state drives), there are instances when this cost-cutting may end up costing you more. Hard drives tend to have a more limited lifespan and may end up corrupted along with your data.
However, using outdated software could be even more catastrophic – especially online. There are a lot of shady people and organizations who have managed to crack the defenses of the last generation software and may use that knowledge to steal your data and demand ransom for it.
The safety of your work data is a never-ending process and requires more than a single approach. More importantly, it requires constant attention. So, make sure your data is well backed up and safe – for your company’s sake.
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