Let’s face it, backing up files may not be the most thrilling task, but it’s an essential one. The importance of having a backup becomes crystal clear when faced with unfortunate situations like losing a device or accidentally deleting important files. That’s when a reliable backup strategy can save the day.
A backup, in essence, is a copy of your valuable files stored in a safe location. You could opt for a straightforward approach by transferring everything onto an external hard drive, or go for an automatic backup system that stores different versions of your files based on a set schedule.
One of my go-to backup strategies is the 3-2-1 rule, which is easy to remember:
- Maintain 3 copies: 1 primary and 2 backups
- Store them on 2 different types of media
- Keep 1 copy in an offsite location
Don’t Forget About Cloud Storage
Nowadays, we store a lot of our digital assets in the cloud, including emails, contacts, and notes from various applications. Although cloud storage may seem secure, it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. My method? Creating a list of all my cloud-based files and routinely exporting them to a folder that’s part of my backup strategy. This way, if anything goes wrong in the cloud, I have reliable recovery points at the ready.
My Backup Approach
Here’s how I keep my digital life safeguarded: I centralize all my files in my cloud drive and then manually sync everything to an external SSD using a handy tool called rclone. I also use Backblaze Personal on my MacBook, which backs up all my data from my computer and SSD. This setup provides me with three copies of my data: one on my cloud drive, one on my SSD, and one with Backblaze, with two of them being remote backups.
By following a well-thought-out backup strategy like the one I’ve shared, you can save yourself a lot of stress and frustration when dealing with data loss. It’s always better to be prepared!