A self-publisher’s guide to computer data backup

Protecting your computer’s data files is something all self-publishers should be aware of and address before it’s too late. It is not a complicated or expensive process. It can be as simple as having an external hard drive and using cloud storage. No special knowledge or sophisticated equipment is required. And, the process is very easy to automate. It is essential that you keep the backup process simple and automatic. It’s also essential to create multiple copies, onsite and offsite. Here is a summary of how we do this in our office.

Using an external drive for data backup

We started out by using an external hard drive in our office. This is the most basic and easiest way to protect your data on your internal hard drive. A name-brand 3TB hard drive now costs $120. Make sure you buy a larger hard drive than you currently need. But don’t overbuy. Right now this 3TB has a good price. Over time, larger hard drives will also come down in price. Another reason not to overbuy is that hard drives don’t last forever. Buy only what you need now, then upgrade to a newer, larger unit when you need it. We bought an external USB hard drive that is only 5 inches x 7 inches x 1.5 inches. This small size gives you an easy way to fit the hard drive in your safe or lockbox, or take it with you on vacation from work.

Using multiple external drives for data backup

Now we use multiple external hard drives. They are installed together and function as a unit within a storage array box. In this way, we can store a large amount of data on multiple drives that are stored in a small desktop box. Even if one or two units fail, we would still have several more running. Again, just buy a reputable storage array box and a reputable external hard drive to put it in.

Using cloud storage for data backup

Storing your data online is called “cloud storage”. You should consider using cloud storage because it’s a safe and easy way to store your files outside of your office, where they can’t be stolen from your office, lost, or burned in a fire. There are many cloud storage companies and they are all easy to find on the internet. Many offer 2GB or 5GB of free storage. There are also many reviews and comparisons of different services on the Internet. Some companies will even automatically back up your data to an external hard drive and at the same time to the cloud as well. Play it safe and choose one of the reputable cloud storage companies to deal with your business.

How do I find a cloud storage company?

There are many cloud storage companies and they are all easy to find on the internet. There are many reviews and comparisons of different services on the Internet. Some will even automatically back up your data to an external hard drive and also to the cloud. Play it safe and choose one of the reputable companies to deal with.

Isn’t it risky to backup in the cloud?

Your data will be stored in an encrypted format when backed up in the cloud at the storage company, which should prevent a hacker from easily accessing your information. If you need a higher level of security, you can use your own private encryption key to further reduce potential exposure to data intrusion. The chance of a server like Apple, Amazon or Google going down is much less than the chance of your own hard drive or local backup failing.

Work outside the home/office

If you are away from your home/business computer and using your laptop, email yourself the document you are working on. Also save it to your laptop’s internal hard drive and your flash drive. A good rule of thumb is that you should never store extremely sensitive data on your laptop. Save it to your flash drive and to the cloud. We carry several flash drives with us when on vacation, and keep them in our pockets for safekeeping. Flash drives are very inexpensive, so buy and use several. We bought 3 brand name 8GB flash dives for less than $20.

Should I encrypt my hard drives?

For most purposes, encryption of your computer or hard drive is not necessary. Encryption is only necessary for extremely sensitive data, such as your patients’ medical records. If you encrypt a backup, you add unnecessary complexity to a process that is designed to simplify and preserve quick access to your information. With this added complexity comes the increased likelihood of a problem. Therefore, it increases the chance that you will lose access to your backed up data. Do yourself a favor and make sure you understand when and why you might need to encrypt your backups, and think about how you will ensure that you have access to your encryption password when needed. Data encryption will cost you too much time, money and hassle.

What computer data should I back up?

At a minimum, you should back up everything except your software applications. Any data that is necessary for the operation of your business must be copied. Most software is easy to replace and usually not too expensive.

What about our websites, blogs, mailing lists, and online publications?

All of these are absolutely essential to keep your desktop publishing business up and running and thriving. Fortunately, each of them already has a built-in backup. We keep multiple backups on multiple hard drives here in our office and also in the cloud. All of our websites and blogs are also backed by the hosting company. Our hosting company also sends us a backup via email. Our mailing lists are maintained by an online mailing list company. The list can be easily downloaded from the mailing list company. We also keep a copy on our computers and hard drives. All of our online publications (ebooks and edocuments) also have full copies with the companies that sell our publications.

conclusion

By having a simple backup plan that uses online data backup and multiple external hard drives, you’re providing foolproof security for when your computer’s hard drive fails or your system is ruined in a fire or flood. . Don’t risk losing your important files forever when you can avoid that mess quickly and affordably with a tripled data backup plan. And never forget: don’t put all your trust in one method over the other. Internal hard drives, external hard drives, and flash drives can fail. Even your cloud storage company can fail: go out of business, get hacked, or your computer software can crash.