By Chetrice Mosley-Romero

When it comes to our everyday life, there’s always a few things that we know we need to do, but try as we might, even with the best intentions, we struggle with making the time to getting it done (at least, like we should, right?).

One of things that you could say that fits into that category is backing up our data. And there’s a lot out there -- from everything that’s on our phones, laptops, and mobile devices, all the way down to the files we have at work and the precious photos we have saved, seemingly, everywhere!

Friday, March 31st is World Backup Day. It’s a perfect time to “celebrate” by making sure that just as we lock our doors at night, we’ve taken a few simple steps to protect ourselves digitally. For some, it’ll be a new experience, as 21 percent of people have not backed up all of the data on their computers. And even if you’re tech savvy, it’s important to keep in mind that nearly 30 percent of data loss cases were caused by accident.

That being said, here’s five great tips to help protect your data, including:

• Set it and forget it. Cloud-based storage and external hard drives both give you the option to set up automatic data backups on a recurring basis. This way, even in case of emergency, you won’t have to worry about the last time you backed everything up.
• Redundancy is key. Having your data stored in multiple storage spaces will keep it more secure, especially if one storage space fails. (For example, if your external hard drive is lost or broken or you don’t have the internet to access your cloud data.).
• Choose the right option for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to data backup.
  • External hard drives are a physical unit you plug directly into your computer. They’re relatively inexpensive, and they can be used with a variety of devices so you can access your data from anywhere.
  • Cloud-based storage, meanwhile, is completely digital. It can be used across multiple devices, and there are even some free options highlighting some of the best practices to follow.
• Protect against cyberattacks. Unfortunately, the increase in technology use has also caused an increase in cybercrime. Backing up your data helps secure your information if your device becomes compromised. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you’re running the latest antivirus software on all of your devices and systems (if you’re at work).
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Data backup can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. However, it’s important to take these steps before it’s too late. If you’re unsure of what you’re doing, reach out to that tech-savvy friend for help. There’s also a lot of resources online, in the way of tutorials, that you can download or use as reference to use as a guide. And in case you need it, there are also some data recovery software tools that are free to use.

Who knows, with a little work, here and there, backing up your files will give you an opportunity to enjoy all over again (and keep secure) some of those precious photos!