I know, I know, here comes the dreaded back-up-those-files speech. it seems like such a bother, yes? And a hard drive failure just COULDN’T happen to me, right? NOT SO my friends.

I’ve always read and heard that it’s not IF you have a hard drive failure, but WHEN. And it happens all the time. I’ve ready so many horror stories of losing that precious data simply because there was no backup system in place. Please don’t let that happen to you. Just imagine all your precious photos and memories gone forever and then it won’t seem like such a bother.

What is a Backup?

A backup is an additional copy of your data, a snapshot in time just in case there is data loss or corruption.

Generally, it is wise to have an offsite storage (in case something happens to your home - robbery, flood, etc) and a nearby backup for easy file retrieval.

I would recommend you backup at least your photos and your personal documents. Digital supplies are nice to have backed up, but not irreplaceable!

In my case, I have:

1. My photos and supplies on my internal hard drive in my computer
2. EVERYTHING backed up with Crash Plan (in the cloud)
3. A backup on an external hard drive at home (Seagate Go Flex)
4. A DVD of my most precious photos with my parents
5. All my photos automatically uploaded to Forever

Don't feel you need to do all this! I suggest just starting by having an online backup service.

I’m here to help you get a backup system in place. I’ve taken some time to research the various online systems. Let’s dig into the comparison of the various scenarios of backing up those files.

Let’s Compare

Here’s a little comparison I did for a few of the more popular online backup solutions.

• Carbonite –  If you have only one computer to back up you can spend just $6 a month (billed annually). Multiple computers would be $24 per month (billed annually), and computers plus servers would be $50 per month (billed annually). All three plans include automatic cloud backup, customer support 7 days a week, external hard drive backup, and remote file access. Additional features come with the higher end plans.
• CrashPlan – CrashPlan is marketed as a backup system for small businesses. You can get a one month free trial and then it is $10 per month per device. CrashPlan uses minimum CPU power as it backs up to the cloud so it won't interrupt your computer use. It backs up not only your computer, but any attached external hard drives as well. CrashPlan also keeps your deleted files forever, unless you tell them not to! No more regretting that you deleted that picture or digiscrap collection.
  

  I have been using CrashPlan since 2010 and love it! I used the seeded backup, so they sent me a 3Tb external hard drive and I used their program to load all my data onto it. I sent the EHD back to Sydney and voilà! All my files were backed up.
  Crash Plan also has an app so you can access ALL your files from your phone or tablet.

• Back Blaze - $7 per month with some savings if you buy years at a time. You can get unlimited space and external hard drive support, recovery via downloading your files or you can order your files on a flash or USB drive for a fee.

 

Why I chose CrashPlan for Small Business

A couple of reasons I went with Crash Plan:

Quick Uploading with an External Drive

CrashPlan has the option of purchasing an external hard drive, free shipping to your home to back up your files and then you ship it back to them (postage paid) for faster initial set up. Depending on how many files you have, and face it, we scrapbookers and photographers can have gigs and GIGS of files, right? That could take days or even weeks to complete an initial back up.

Unlimited Storage

I needed terabytes of space, so I couldn't afford options with limited space or pay per Gigabyter. CrashPlan also support external hard drives.

Local Support

Crash Plan has offices in Australia so I get local support and don't have to wait till the US wakes up to get help.

Your Task: Protect your files

Now that you’ve read what I’ve researched,  go ahead and click on each site’s link and make an informed decision for yourself. I’m sure there are others out there as well that you may want to look at, but don’t wait until that inevitable crash happens before you consider a backup plan.

I hope this provided some valuable information for you and has you on your way to beginning your own backup plan so you can feel secure when that failure happens.

Leave a comment and let me know what you’ve decided for YOUR plan. I’d love to hear your opinion.