Users have taken the time to store it data on a desktop or laptop – everything that matters to them, from financial documents to sentimental photos and videos.
However, they are just one virus, one spilled coffee, one stolen backpack away from losing it all.
WD, a Western Digital company, urges consumers to put their own backup plans into place using five top tips to safeguard precious personal content for years to come.
“We urge consumers to backup all of their personal data that they store, regardless of platform,” says Anamika Budree, branded sales manager, WD South Africa.
“It’s more than just the purchase of a hard drive; we want to help consumers ensure that their content is being safeguarded with the help of automatic backup software like WD SmartWare and personal cloud products like the My Book Live range. We would like to send out this call to action as a stark reminder of the value of personal content, priceless and irreplaceable memories that we would hate to lose.”
Unlike CDs, DVDs and even cloud-based backup options, external hard drives with an automated backup solution remain the most cost friendly, hassle free, reliable, quick and secure approach to backup.
WD has put together their top five back up tips so consumers can put together their own backup plan:
* Don’t wait until it is too late – get an external drive. A backup means having no less than two copies of any data deemed valuable saved and external hard drives are a great way to backup files. They offer great value for money, are fast and offer larger storage capacities than USB sticks, CDs and DVDs.
* Use back-up software and make it automatic. It is best not to rely on manually backing up data, as users will forget or sometimes be unable to perform a backup. It is also easy to make mistakes or omit something important when users are backing up manually.
Use backup software like WD’s SmartWare to automate the backup process. An easy-to-use backup program creates a backup copy of data reliably and automatically, keeps logs and notifies users if any problems occur.
* Keep copies in different places, and make a backup of a backup. Make sure that there are at least two copies of most important files. Several backups on different devices and in different locations reduces the risk of complete data loss.
Remember that simply moving important files, that is maintaining only one copy of the data, from a computer to a hard drive is not backup but storage, so files are still at risk of being lost should anything happen.
* Get a personal cloud. Rest assured that data is safe at home, yet is also accessible when users are on the go with their own personal cloud storage system. With personal cloud storage options like the My Book Live range connected to a home network, users can safeguard content from a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
* Test the backup plan. Backup software will log any problems it has encountered while saving files, so make sure it didn’t miss anything. It may just be that special photo or video that users can never re-take.
Music, photos and videos can be digital representations of some of our fondest memories and this is why it is so crucial that everybody understands how to keep these files safe. Since the launch of the My Book and My Passport range of storage solutions, WD has been trying to make backing up data as easy as “child’s play”.
WD, a Western Digital company, urges consumers to put their own backup plans into place using five top tips to safeguard precious personal content for years to come.
“We urge consumers to backup all of their personal data that they store, regardless of platform,” says Anamika Budree, branded sales manager, WD South Africa.
“It’s more than just the purchase of a hard drive; we want to help consumers ensure that their content is being safeguarded with the help of automatic backup software like WD SmartWare and personal cloud products like the My Book Live range. We would like to send out this call to action as a stark reminder of the value of personal content, priceless and irreplaceable memories that we would hate to lose.”
Unlike CDs, DVDs and even cloud-based backup options, external hard drives with an automated backup solution remain the most cost friendly, hassle free, reliable, quick and secure approach to backup.
WD has put together their top five back up tips so consumers can put together their own backup plan:
* Don’t wait until it is too late – get an external drive. A backup means having no less than two copies of any data deemed valuable saved and external hard drives are a great way to backup files. They offer great value for money, are fast and offer larger storage capacities than USB sticks, CDs and DVDs.
* Use back-up software and make it automatic. It is best not to rely on manually backing up data, as users will forget or sometimes be unable to perform a backup. It is also easy to make mistakes or omit something important when users are backing up manually.
Use backup software like WD’s SmartWare to automate the backup process. An easy-to-use backup program creates a backup copy of data reliably and automatically, keeps logs and notifies users if any problems occur.
* Keep copies in different places, and make a backup of a backup. Make sure that there are at least two copies of most important files. Several backups on different devices and in different locations reduces the risk of complete data loss.
Remember that simply moving important files, that is maintaining only one copy of the data, from a computer to a hard drive is not backup but storage, so files are still at risk of being lost should anything happen.
* Get a personal cloud. Rest assured that data is safe at home, yet is also accessible when users are on the go with their own personal cloud storage system. With personal cloud storage options like the My Book Live range connected to a home network, users can safeguard content from a PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet.
* Test the backup plan. Backup software will log any problems it has encountered while saving files, so make sure it didn’t miss anything. It may just be that special photo or video that users can never re-take.
Music, photos and videos can be digital representations of some of our fondest memories and this is why it is so crucial that everybody understands how to keep these files safe. Since the launch of the My Book and My Passport range of storage solutions, WD has been trying to make backing up data as easy as “child’s play”.
