By Isle of Wight Observer
According to research, 21 per cent of people have never made a backup of their computer, 29 per cent of data loss is caused by accident and 98 per cent of stolen laptops are never recovered.
We all store data, everything from family photos, home accounts and personal projects to important business documents, staff records and the financial information needed to run a business. Yet we often ignore the importance of data backups.
Put simply, a backup is a copy or archive of the important information stored on your computer, that can then be used to restore that original information in the event of data loss. Data loss can come from hardware failure, accidental deletion, viruses, malware and physical loss or theft. Backups are typically stored in a secure, separate location from your computer such as the Cloud or on a physical device such as a USB hard drive. You can undertake full backups, covering every file on your computer through to incremental backups that simply backup only data that has changed or been added since the last backup.
As research suggests that 33 per cent of backups cannot recover all data, it’s important to occasionally test backups to ensure that they are complete and can be restored easily.
The key thing is that you backup data and, for most, the means to do this is readily available, such as Microsoft 365 which allows you to automatically sync your desktop, documents and other folders on your Windows PC to your OneDrive. Your files and folders stay protected and available to restore, view and edit on the go. There is also Windows ‘Backup and Restore’ and ‘File History’, both free and part of many Windows systems. In addition to many other readily available applications and devices to ensure your data remains safe and accessible, should the worst happen.
Ask yourself the question: “What would the impact be if your data was lost?” At best, maybe inconvenient and frustrating, but in many cases data loss can have a real personal impact and leave a business unable to function. Research in the US indicates 60 per cent of businesses shut down within six months after going through significant data loss.
At PC Consultants, we take time to understand our customers’ needs both at home and at work. Working with them to give the right advice and establish the best backup system and procedures. Giving them ‘peace of mind’, saving time and stress in the event that data is lost or compromised. With the right advice, backups don’t have to be hard, expensive or confusing.
PC Consultants Ltd
01983 81171
Enterprise Court, Nicholson Road, Ryde, PO33 1BD