3 Advantages of Having Your Company Computer Backed Up

It goes without saying that people need to back up their computers from time to time. In most cases, people do not think to routinely back up their data, which can place them in a tight situation should that data be lost in some way. Trying to recover that data can take a long time, and in most cases, not all of the data is regained, either. For people who do a lot of projects on the computer, this situation can be disastrous. There are many benefits to backing up a computer, and people who make use of a work computer should do it more routinely than people who use a computer for leisure purposes.

1- Ways to Back Up a Computer

Historically, people have had to do a manual back up by copying and pasting files from location on a computer to another. Most people have USB jump drives that they will back up their computer to. Sometimes, a separate, external hard drive can be used, or some people have a server location at their place of work where they can perform these backups. However, many of these processes can be automated now. A program can be used to schedule the back up to happen automatically across a given time period. Most people pick every other week or once a month.

There is another medium available for saving files nowadays. Cloud computing has taken the world by storm, and many people make use of the cloud storage aspect of this technology. While there might not be programs in place to back up automatically to these cloud storage sources, they are a viable option. Even if manual backup needs to be done, cloud storage is a great back up source because it does not depend on hardware. At the same time, it can be accessed from anywhere, across multiple computers. Therefore, people are able to work on the same file together in most cases, which would be great for projects.

2- More Than One Back Up is the Way to Go

For people who do perform routine backups of their data on their work computer, they most likely are guilty of only making one back up copy to only one location. This situation can be problematic, too. In case of both the original files and the backed up files are compromised in the event of hardware failure or a system being fried or poisoned by a virus, having a second set of backed up files could be a life saver. Therefore, people really should backup their data to two locations. An ideal pairing would be a backup to a hard drive system or a USB jump drive combined with a second backup to a cloud storage location.

3- Reasons Why Backups Should be Performed

There are three, main benefits to backing up files, especially for people who use a work computer on a daily basis. First and foremost, there are hardware failures to consider. For people who have a dedicated desktop or laptop for their daily tasks, they might be better off working with a cloud back up in case their hardware fails. If something goes wrong with any of the hardware in these computers, and the data on these computers could easily be lost if a short happens. In most cases of a hardware failure, the data on these computers cannot be recovered. Much the same can be said of USB jump drives and external hard drives.

Another situation where having multiple backups would be nice is in the case of a virus. M Cubed Technologies said, “Much like a hardware failure, a virus can cause devastating problems.” If a virus consumes all of the files in a computer, then backing them up can cause viruses to spread. Therefore, keeping the backed up files in a location completely unconnected to the original files will make sure that the backed up files are safe from the virus. In case of data loss due to a virus, this situation is the most ideal for being able to go right back to work as soon as the virus has been cleared.

The final reason why people need to back up their data on their work computers is for the sake of a security breech. Being able to draw on files that are being used from another location can keep patterns of work going when businesses have to secure and shut down parts of their servers to clean up after a breech.

Conclusion

There are many things that come as benefits from backing up a work computer. This task needs to be done routinely, though, or it is not effective. Having these backups in times of virus or hardware malfunction can really benefit a business.