There’s an old, old saying in the computer world: Always save your work. It still applies today because of cyber dangers, such as hacking, power failures, and computer malfunctions. Read on for seven of the top reasons you should always back up your data.
1. Someone Goofed
A worker quietly doing a mundane task might make an error, and sometimes, that error can turn out to be catastrophic. Accidentally erasing an entire database would qualify. Having backups means that you can restore the data from a previous point. It might mean the loss of a little work, but the disaster of losing everything won’t happen.
2. Power Failures
We’ve all experienced situations where we “just want to finish this one little thing” before saving, and, “POW.” Lightning strikes, someone runs into a pole, or something else happens to disrupt the power. Everything winds up lost. With backups, you avoid this situation.
3. Hacker Damage
Having backups in secure computers that aren’t connected to the internet or the outside world in any way is the best way to ameliorate hacker damage. Yes, it’s true that hackers can, with the best equipment, hack into computers that are disconnected from the internet and/or turned off. And, even though that is rare, it’s still good to prepare for such an eventuality.
4. Viruses
Even with the best antivirus program and well-trained personnel, it’s possible to pick up a virus in any number of ways. Those who make computer viruses are becoming more creative than ever. Backing up your data just plain makes sense. That way, if everything becomes infected, then you can erase it all, and start over using the backed-up data.
5. Faulty Hardware
Sometimes, a computer will just give up the ghost. When this happens, it’s almost always unexpected, so having current backups is mandatory whenever you use computers. That way, when you replace the hardware, you can reinstall programs and then transfer files from your backups to reach your last save point.
6. Acts of God
Floods can ruin businesses on low floors in buildings. Earthquakes, fires, or even avalanches can damage or destroy buildings. One of these things is bound to happen eventually, so backing up your data now is smart. You can also make multiple backups and then store them at different locations so that if something terrible happens at one place, another place will be able to continue.
7. Lawsuits
Let’s say that you’re entrusted with a job for a preeminent company in your industry. That company trusts you to do the job right and to protect their data along the way. A hacker crashes the party, and because you didn’t have reliable and comprehensive backups, you lost everything, ruining your deal with the other company. That company then sues you for damages, and what they’re asking for will put you out of business.
It’s not difficult to implement a good procedure for backing up everyone’s work at your company. The trick is in getting people to do the saving once the equipment is in place.
