When it comes to backing up your financial data or for any “mission critical” data. You want to make sure that you have it in a minimum of 3 locations. Think on-premise, off-premise and in the cloud. With these 3 locations you will be able to have peace of mind that your data is backed up. What you will need to be able to successfully complete this guide are two 4 GB flash drives that you can purchase here.
On-Premise Data Backup
On-Premise Data Backup is simple and relatively easy. If you have your data somewhere on your computer, you will need one of those flash drives you purchased for the next part. Next, grab flash drive #1 and plug it into the computer’s USB port. From there you will simply copy all of your financial data to the flash drive. Then, label it and then set it in a secure location. Just make sure that the location is a dry, room temperature spot.
Off-Premise Data Backup
Off-Premise Data Backup is a little bit more tricky, unless you have an accountant that has backups of your statements there or a bank lock box. This can become a little more of a chore. Options can be a relative’s house (that you trust), purchasing of a lock box at your local bank, or you can use a separate cloud account than the one we will talk about below. You will follow the same process as above, with the second flash drive you purchased.
Cloud Data Backup
Cloud Data Backup can be the most secure and easiest to do out of the three options and if you are content with your on-premise solution then having two cloud backups is definitely an option. When you store your information in the cloud it is secured with rigorous encryption and is free from house fire, water, and other damage that could compromise your on-premise data. If you take nothing else away from this guide other than backing up your data to the cloud, we would count that as a win for your “data future”. We like Carbonite and DropBox. They are the leaders in their respective fields and Carbonite can do nightly backups of your entire hard drive if you would like.
Total Recap
Backing up your financial and “mission critical” data is essential to living in the digital age. Cloud based backups are the best way to ensure your data is secure. Make sure that you are doing what you can to protect your data. When you keep your data safe and secure from hackers and natural disaster, you are so much further ahead of the game.
Denver Computer Techs
If you have any questions about Data Backup or Disaster recovery. Please give us a call at 720-413-8909 and we will do whatever it takes to make you secure.