UPDATED 08:13 EDT / APRIL 01 2013

Forgot to Backup on World Backup Day? Here’s 5 Cloud Tips to Save Files

Have you ever experienced losing data?  Maybe you’ve lost all the contacts in your phone, or lost personal files when the computer crashed.  We’ve all experienced the loss and I can tell you, sometimes it’s simply unbearable!  Just thinking about all the memories lost with those files can make one’s heart sink to the ground.

So what are we to do? Back it up!

Yesterday, March 31, 2013 was World Backup Day.  It is the day dedicated to raising awareness about data backup solutions across all devices currently available on the market. Why?  Because shit happens.  As mentioned above, devices can easily be stolen or lost or you could experience hardware failure.  Not to mention file formats can become obsolete depending on the file type and the gadgets available in the market. Here’s some info on what and how to backup personal data.

HOW TO: Spot the Right Consumer Cloud for Your Media

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What to back up:  Devices that contain your data such as computers, laptops, phones/smartphones, tablets, iPods, and other electronic device capable of storing data should be backed up.  Files such as work and personal documents, photos, videos, songs stored in the cloud as well as social networking sites should be backed up too.

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5 helpful backup tips

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Multiplicity – make multiple copies of your files and store them in various ways such as using flash drives, external hard drives, offsite backup, or using a cloud service.

Make it a habit – You should backup your data regularly so as not to be burdened with figuring out what you’ve already backed up, or spending hours on end waiting for your backup process to finish.  If you generate huge amounts of data per week, make it a habit of backing up data every weekend.  This way, you can quickly review if some files can already be discarded and you can better organize your files.

Organize – Make a list of what types of storage you use for backup, then a list of what files are stored in your external hard drive, flash drive and in the cloud.  Separate work and personal files so it would be easy to find specific things you need.

Backup your backup – It’s not paranoia, it’s just being safe.  There’s nothing wrong with creating a backup for your backup of your backup.  It just reiterates the importance of keeping multiple copies of files.  So if worse comes to worse, you never have to worry about losing anything.

Subscribe to a trusted service provider – There are a lot of cloud service providers available now.  Some offer their services for free but usually, if you want more storage space, you’d have to pay a service fee which can be on a monthly or yearly basis.  And if you have really sensitive files, better not store them in the cloud where hackers can easily access them if they wish to

One online backup provider, CrashPlan, is in full support of World Backup Day. To lure new users, CrashPlan is offering a 40 percent discount coupon to anyone who wants to subscribe to its service.  You can enjoy an individual one year CrashPlan subscription for as low as $42.00 or a family plan to backup all your computers for one year for $95.00.  Two year subscriptions are $84.00 for the individual plan and $190.00 for the family plan.

photo credit: gadl via photopin cc

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