World Backup Day is Back On for March 31
World Backup Day is March 31, which is good news for any potential April Fools out there.
A recent Wired.com survey discovered that 40 percent of participants have never backed up any of their personal data, while 25 percent perform a monthly backup. A whopping 80 percent reported that they have no backup of their most critical work files, digital wedding images and other important data.
Do you fit into one of these categories? Or do you think you’re safe because your important documents and images are saved to your computer’s hard drive? Note this: Experts point to the hard drive as the computer component most likely to break unexpectedly. According to WorldBackupDay.com, mechanical hard drives fail at an annual rate of 3 percent, and this rate gets higher as the drive gets older – with a 3-year-old drive, the annual failure rate is 6 percent.
Sure, you may be able to recover some of your data in some cases, but wouldn’t it be simpler to just back it up in the first place? A couple of concerned reddit users thought so, and they created World Backup Day to promote awareness and use of cloud storage solutions.
If you don’t have your most important data backed up, or if you don’t do it regularly, World Backup Day is for you. Take heed and you’ll never have to worry about the safety of your data again. Here’s a great bargain to get you started: Cloudstoragefinder.com is partnering with MyPCBackup.com to offer new customers $1 per 100 GB of storage when purchased on March 31.
Backup, 24/7
Cloud storage enables you to store your data securely at off-site server locations, so in the event of a system failure, your data is safe and easily accessible from another computer or mobile device (not to mention, it enables users to access files and data anywhere at any time). Many individuals and businesses have realized the importance of cloud backup and made the switch, and now they’re reaping the benefits: According to a recent McKinsey survey of business leaders, 63 percent agreed that cloud storage and backup makes their entire organization more business-agile and responsive.
Even though businesses are increasingly going to the cloud to meet their storage needs, a recent PCWorld survey on data security found 38 percent of the information technology professionals surveyed were worried about their data not being saved securely, or whether data had been backed up at all.
Because of this, the companies involved in spearheading World Backup Day are enthusiastic about what IT pros can do to make the most of backup storage service. “With the increase in hackers, and the undeniable truth that hard drives eventually fail, it’s always a good idea to backup your data,” says Dan Short, operations manager at MyPCBackup.com.
5 Tips to Make the Most of Cloud Storage
Any new technology will present both challenges and opportunities. For most individuals and institutions, the real challenge lies in understanding the value cloud storage provides in comparison to their current storage solutions. Here are five tips to help you evaluate your need for cloud storage and how it makes your life easier and data more secure:
Choose the appropriate cloud: While cloud backup, cloud hosting, and cloud storage are all forms of online storage, there is a difference. Cloud storage is perfect for music and video storage and sharing, while cloud backup is a redundant storage for “important files” and is useful for people or businesses that can’t afford to lose their data. Finally, cloud hosting is more for the website owner or webmaster who has bandwidth needs and is more concerned with cloud uptime.
Know the costs: Cloud storage for a hard drive runs $50 to $100 a year for 1 TB (terabyte) of storage. This is generally considered far more than the average user needs. Make sure to talk with your service provider so you understand the pricing arrangements. Also, check for any hidden costs. Watch for cloud service providers who hide fees for data access, data migration or portable device handling. The industry is large enough for you to find someone to give you a complete cost picture. Be assertive when investigating any hidden costs.
Know your security measures: While available security measures depend on your particular service provider, it is standard practice to store data completely encrypted. Physical access to each server is controlled with electronic key cards and PIN codes, and guards patrol the premises of most data centers 24/7. Cloud data centers keep your data on servers that have much lower failure rates than PC hard drives. In addition, the data centers run uninterrupted power supplies (UPSs), so you never have to worry about power outages affecting your data. Make sure to thoroughly question a potential provider about its security measures before you sign on with service.
Have a disaster recovery plan: If you run into an emergency business situation where your physical premises are destroyed, having the cloud will save you. But you’ll be better prepared if you include the cloud backup in your disaster recovery plan. If you haven’t already, make sure you create yours.
Check on your service provider: You should be able to trust your cloud storage service, but no one service is perfect. Check yours regularly for missing or corrupted files and errors. If something’s not quite right, get in touch quickly. The real test of customer service is when something goes wrong, and you’ll learn a lot about your service provider when you see how they handle challenging situations.
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