Today is World Backup Day!

If you were hacked tomorrow, if your laptop fails or you simply lose your phone, and you lose all of your data along with it, all of your treasured memories, your photos, videos, valuable documents and emails, what would you do?

Today is World Backup Day and we hope it's the day you finally make that backup you've been talking about making for so long! Do it with us, create just 1 backup on World BackUp Day!

This blog post aims to help you pick a backup method that suits you best.

According to Worldbackupday.com :
- 83% of us own a computer.
- 89% own a smartphone.
- 1 in 4 people make regular backups of their data.
- 29% of data loss is an accident.
- 21% of people have never made a backup.
- 30% of all computers are already infected with malware.

What is a backup?
A backup is a separate copy of your important or most valuable files, such as your photos, videos, documents and emails. Creating a copy of them in a separate space means that an exact replica is out of reach of a cyber criminal who wants to delete all of your data to cause you harm. Additionally, if your laptop fails you or you lose your smartphone, your data is not lost forever along with it.

Losing data is more common and happens more often than you might think:
More than 60 million computers will fail worldwide this year (mine failed last week and it was less than a year old).
113 smartphones are stolen every minute globally. This means countless treasured memories and documents are destroyed with no chance of ever getting them back.

Let today be the day you do something about protecting your data!

There are a number of different ways to backup your data but none of them are foolproof. Within this blog we recommend 4 methods of backup and we suggest combining more then one to enhance the security of your data.
But today, with the day that’s in it, we’ll take it one step at a time and encourage you to backup your data using just one method suggested below.

Have a look through the listed options and pick whichever suits you best.

1. USB Stick:
Pros:
- Cheap and easy to come by.
- Easy drag and drop features.
Cons:
- The backup process will need to be repeated on a regular basis (not automatic/real-time).
- Being a small physical object they can be easy to lose.
- Must be kept in a secure physical location; fireproof and locked safe that only you have the code or keys for.

2. External Hard Drive:
Pros:
- A lot faster than USB sticks.
- Durable and portable.
- Large amounts of storage space available.
- Once-off storage space purchase.
Cons:
- Can become expensive depending on the storage level required.
- The backup process will need to be repeated on a regular basis (not automatic/real-time).
- Can become lost, to avoid this it must be kept in a secure physical location; fireproof and locked safe that only you have the code or keys for.

3. Online Backup Services:
Pros:
- Future-proof alternative to physical backups.
- Available on any device at any time.
- Updated automatically in real-time, you don’t need to re-do the backup process every few months.
- Lots of free options available, costs increase in line with storage requirements.
Cons:
- Not foolproof, security measures and access must be monitored constantly.

4. NAS Backup (Network Attached Storage):
For small businesses, a NAS backup is a useful method. A NAS system is a way to store your data in a separate space that can be accessed from any other device that is also connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Think of this as an external hard drive with built-in wireless connection for easy, real-time access.
Pros:
- Employees can collaborate and access this stored data seamlessly and in real-time.
- With no 3rd-party involved, your cyber risk is significantly reduced.
Cons:
- More costly than other methods.

We hope this helps you to find the perfect method for you and enables you to make a backup today!

Ella O’Neill is a Cyber Agent at ICTTF

Sources: 
1. https://worldbackupday.com/en