In the early days of personal computers, everyone knew why backups were important. Computer storage simply wasn’t as reliable as it is today, and it wasn’t a question of if you’d lose vital files through no fault of your own, but when it would happen. (Possibly today; probably tomorrow; almost certainly by next week.)

The creators of viruses, worms and Trojans hadn’t yet figured out how to make money out of malware, so they often simply deleted or corrupted all your data just for the sake of it.

These days, however, ransomware aside, you could be forgiven for assuming that your data will be there whenever you need it, because “hard disks” (as we still call them) feel as though they’re unbreakable, unburstable, untrashable, invincible.

WHAT IS A BACKUP?

A backup is a copy of all your important files — for example, your family photos, your genealogy information (how many hours did you spend finding all that information?), your home videos, documents, and emails. Instead of storing it all in one place (like your computer or smartphone), you keep a copy of everything somewhere safe.

One small accident or failure could destroy all the important stuff you care about.

Today (March 31st) is WorldBackupDay: the day to prevent data loss!

Obviously, you need to make backups more than once a year. (My computers make backups of all newly-created files once every 15 minutes, even if I am sleeping at the time.) 

There are probably more than a dozen different, effective ways of making a backup. Backing up to a NAS is a good safe way to backup mainly for small businesses, Tech-Savvy PC users, and smart homes. NAS is an abbreviation for Network Attached Storage. A NAS Server is a kind of computer cabinet that can convert one or more hard drives into one network storage device via a wired or a wireless connection.

(I am in the process of building a new NAS and will write about it when I am finished with the project.)

Keep in mind that all computer hard drives and other devices will fail eventually. If that happens to you, will you be prepared? As I wrote at the beginning of this article: "It could happen possibly today; probably tomorrow; almost certainly by next week.""

However you back up your computer data, the important thing is to "Just Do It!"

Repeat after me: “I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st. I will also tell my friends and family about World Backup Day - Real friends don't let friends go without a backup."