“Best practices†are policies and habits that are proven to be effective. When a computer is involved, a vital best practice is proper backups. Our computers have become our storehouses for important data. Whether it is your financial records or pictures from your son’s 5th birthday, this data is very important. These pictures and documents are stored on your hard drive. That drive will eventually fail, destroying your data.
The solution is a good backup policy. There are several options for backing up files. A simple yet effective solution is burning your files to a CD or DVD. Another option is solid state memory: a USB thumb drive or the like. Some companies provide online backup solutions that allow you to upload your data to a remote server.
Another consideration is location. Where are you storing your physical backups? Your backup disks do little good if they’re destroyed in the fire or flood that destroyed your hard drive. A rented storage unit, a safety deposit box, or a trusted friend could ensure their protection.
Your hard drive will fail. Are you prepared?