Regularly scheduled backups of computers, phones, tablets, hard drives and websites are in order for anyone with a small business. All of these things are prone to crashing and/or dying within their short lifespans. Almost every small business owner has had their own horrible crash or loss of important info, pictures, contacts, and much more. Any loss like this can be a difficult set-back, and can take many hours to restore any kind of device to its normal state.
Computers have hard drives that only live a few to several years. These hard drives can stop running at any time, especially on desktop or laptop computers that are at least a few years old. Recovering information on a defunct hard drive can be extremely expensive and most likely prohibitive.
Websites need to be backed up as well. One of my longtime friends lost all the files of his expensive and highly meaningful website because the hosting company made a few drastic errors. There was no retrieving of any portions of the site. Unfortunately, my friend did not back up the files nor have screen shots to rebuild it. He doesn’t even know where to start to rebuild this very innovative and unique website. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Hosting companies that provide free or low-cost website hosting may not be the most dependable nor resourceful in times of trouble.
Which files need backing up on websites? All content files and databases need to be backed up regularly. Contact your website administrator to discuss how this is best done.
The tech experts recommend a duplication of three backups for every device. They recommend two local backup copies in hard drives, and also another backup with a cloud service such as iCloud.com, Carbonite.com or Mozy.com. Online services often have a minimal monthly fee associated with their service.
Don’t let time get away without giving attention to doing regular backups to your invaluable information on your devices!
About the author: Patrick Duffek, MA, CEO grew up in the Silicon Valley, CA less than a mile from Apple Computers. He’s got computers in his blood. He’s been an early adopter of computers, websites, devices and social media for the last few decades. He’s been managing hundreds of special events for the last couple decades, and managing a team of software developers to create a mobile event app called EventLightNing. He’s had his share (too much) of hard drives crashing over the years.
Nice post. I learned something new on stuff that bugs me on a daily basis. It’s always nice to read through articles from other writers and learn a little something from their sites.