It’s World Back Up Day and there is no better time to shine a light on backing up our data like photos and videos and important on physical drives and in the cloud. The bad news is not everyone is getting the message.
According to research commissioned by Western Digital, one in four Australians are not backing up their data.
And Sandisk says those that are backing up their precious memories and information are making common mistakes they could put their back up at risk.
For the Western Digital respondents, 41 percent said they didn’t know how to back up their data, 25 per cent didn’t have enough storage space and 29 per cent thinks it takes too long.
But 62 per cent of the respondents who don’t back up their data said they would back it up more frequently if it was effortless and automatic. Which it can be.
Western Digital says a good backup practise is this 3-2-1 strategy.
They say customers should have three copies of data, stored on two different types of media and one copy off site, like the cloud.
The research found Australians are adopting a hybrid approach to protect their data with 55 per cent saying they rely on free cloud storage while 39 per cent have run out of space in the last six months and 52 per cent have had to pay to upgrade their plans.
And 69 per cent find cloud storage is becoming increasingly expensive which is driving more users to combine both cloud and local external storage to have complete data protection and cost efficiency.
External HDD storage – Western Digital has up to 26TB capacity in a single drive – is a cost effective solution for those customers looking to combine this hybrid storage solution.
Sandisk says Australians are making five common backup mistakes that could lead to the permanent loss of valuable data from precious family photos to important business files.
Here is Sandisk’s list of the top five most common backup mistakes:
- Skipping regular backups: Whether personal files or crucial business documents, not establishing a consistent backup routine leaves you vulnerable to data loss. Unexpected system crashes or malware attacks can happen anytime, making your precious data inaccessible or permanently lost.
- Putting all faith in a single backup device: A device can get damaged or stolen, putting your backups at risk, so depending entirely on one storage medium is playing a dangerous game with your data’s safety. Instead, diversify your backup storage solutions with Sandisk’s storage solutions for PC and smartphones. Portable SSDs like the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD offer up to 4TB for simple, cost-effective backups. For smartphones, 2-in-1 flash drives such as SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe and SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe are convenient options. These drives, compatible with USB-C devices, automatically back up photos, videos, and more.
- Forgetting version control: Overlooking version control during backups is another blunder. Not keeping multiple versions of files increases the chance of saving corrupted or wrong data over previous versions. To prevent forgetting version control, establish a system that tracks changes to your files over time. This ensures that you can always revert to earlier versions if needed, helping protect against accidental data loss or corruption.
- Ignoring off-site backup solutions: Many people overlook off-site backup solutions, assuming local backups are foolproof. However, relying solely on local backups makes you vulnerable to site-specific disasters like fires or theft. Using off-site backups means keeping copies of your data in different places so that if something bad happens in one area, your data stays safe.
- Underestimating encryption: Storing unencrypted backups makes your sensitive data vulnerable to unauthorised access or breaches. Implementing strong encryption ensures even if your backups fall into the wrong hands, the data remains protected. Sandisk offers hardware encryption with password protection that helps keep content secure.
