physical backup

By Aysë Stenabaugh

First things first, if you are storing your important data in only one storage location, your data is 100% at risk. The golden rule is to always have your important data in two places. Keeping this in mind, if one storage medium fails or is compromised, having a second backup gives you time to replace the failed device with minimal downtime and no data loss.

With so many different backup options available users can find themselves overwhelmed and confused as to which options are the best. No matter which option you choose; you will want to make sure that whatever data is most important to you is being stored in both places. One option involves storing your backup on a physical storage medium which can include CD’s or DVD’s, flash drives or an external hard drive. Another common and increasingly popular method is Cloud storage. There are advantages and disadvantages to either option with some users opting to use both physical and cloud storage options together. Read on to discover what solutions might work best for you.

Physical Backups can include a variety of storage mediums. Using CD’S or DVD’s for data backup is not ideal since they can be damaged easily if not stored properly and, compared to a flash drive they take up a lot more space while having less capacity. Flash drives have gotten less expensive and can be a convenient and affordable option to backup data. Users should use caution though, flash drives can and do fail and they can break especially when being transported which often makes them better for short-term data storage.

This leaves External hard drives as the recommended long-term physical storage medium. If setup properly, you can use software to back up your computer on a set schedule. Some backup software can even create a system image which will back up your entire computer including programs and files for easy restoration. If you are manually storing your data files its important to verify that you are backing up all of the data that is important to you. Some program data such as saved bookmarks and passwords may not be backed up by a standard file backup.

Users will find two options for external hard drives: Mechanical HDD’s or SSD’s. Mechanical HDDs are still most common for external drives, but SSD external drives are decreasing in price and are becoming more affordable. Still, SSD’s wear out based on the amount of data that is stored over time so while they are a good bit faster mechanical HDDs are typically a better option. As with ANY physical storage medium, they aren’t perfect, they have a life expectancy. Now is where we circle back to keep your data stored in two places. If one storage medium fails, you can replace it before you experience any data loss.

Cloud Storage can be a great option to access your personal data files on the go or across multiple devices. As opposed to a physical storage media backup option which you pay for once and use until your device fails, Cloud storage typically involves a monthly or yearly subscription which can vary in cost depending upon the provider and the amount of storage used. Some examples of Cloud storage providers include OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox. Typically cloud storage backups are limited and allow users to backup specific folders. The cloud storage data then is either synced to both the device and the cloud or stored in the cloud for future use. When setting up cloud storage it’s important to ensure that if you do have enough storage space or don’t plan to have online access that your data is being saved to your device and not just to the cloud. Maintaining access to your cloud storage accounts are crucial especially if your data is not stored on your device, if that is the case users can find themselves without access to their data if they lose access to their account. There are additional cloud backup options such as Carbonite or Backblaze which provide more thorough backups. It is important to ensure that what you believe is being backed up is being stored securely.

Using both physical and cloud storage can be a wise decision. If your data is crucial to you, having both can protect you from the downsides of either. In the event your physical storage media fails or is inaccessible to you, you have cloud storage. Should you lose access to your online account you can rely on your physical storage to regain quick access to important data.

Only you can know what the best storage solution for you is. For some web-based users you might find that you personally don’t require a backup solution at all!