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Backing Up Your Data: Why Redundancy Matters

Have you ever had that sick feeling in your gut when you think you deleted a really important file and aren’t sure if you can get it back? Trust me – I’ve been there, and it is the worst. Since that fateful day, I learned to back up duplicates of all my data on external drives.

My backup drives run the gamut from small flash drives to full-sized external hard drives. My data didn’t seem to care where it was stored as long as it had a home.  However, as I started to accumulate more than just a few flash and hard drives, maintaining my backup library started to bug me.  I hate clutter!

Enter “THE CLOUD”

Cloud-based backups allow users to securely save important files to an online data backup server. These systems allow users to store their data on professionally maintained servers while providing secure access to it anytime from any computer – and many mobile devices – with an Internet connection. Clearly just the thing for a data security maniac and neat freak like me.

Sound too good to be true? Well, depending upon how things play out in the next few months, it may just be.

Though cloud-based storage solutions like Norton, Sugar Sync and Carbonite are great options to backup your important data off-site, what happens if the company managing the storage system is shut down or closes for some reason? What happens to your data?

What happens to my data?

Users of the MegaUpload service are finding out the hard way at this moment.  The target of legal action by the U.S. Justice Department, MegaUpload recently had their assets frozen. While some users of MegaUpload may have used it to illegally share movies and TV shows, over 50 million users who used it for legitimate purposes have had their data swept up in this legal dispute. Attorneys for MegaUpload and the companies it used to host client data say the U. S. Attorney in charge of the case sent them a letter giving them permission to start deleting data from its servers as early as Feb. 2^nd.

What does this mean for users? Pictures, spreadsheets and documents for private citizens and small businesses could be deleted without advance warning. For small business owners who don’t have a local backup, the loss of client data could be devastating to their livelihood. While users have had limited-to-no access to their data since January 19, MegaUpload is continuing its fight to keep user data from being deleted.

This situation reinforces the advice of data security and privacy professionals when it comes to choosing a cloud storage provider. They emphasize users should focus on well-known, established companies as service providers. Publicly-traded companies are very good options because they will be more risk averse than start-ups. Using a company you already have a relationship with –your ISP for instance – and one based in the United States is also a good idea.

For more on the risks of cloud storage see this article from National Public Radio’s business show, Marketplace. For more on choosing a cloud storage company, see this article from PC World Magazine. Can you imagine if this had happened to you?

Cloud storage is a great part of a backup solution, but this underscores why it should not be the only option. Storing your data is too important to trust to a single method. I think cloud storage is pretty awesome, but I will not give up on the clutter and safety of the old fashion external hard drive – and neither should you.

Keep your data safe! Back up today – locally, and online. You’ll be glad that you did.

-Agent Timothy E.

To learn more about how to ensure your data is backed up safely and securely, visit your local Best Buy and talk to a Geek Squad Agent about all the different ways to back up data — or visit us at support.geeksquad.com (24/7) and we can help back your data up for you! 

Tech Resolution: Save Your Stuff!!

We all have things that matter to us.  Cars, bikes, and houses are all examples of things in the physical world with value.  Family, friends, and pets are examples of living relationships we hold dear.

But what about things like tax records, photographs, and music?  Used to be, we kept those things in drawers, books, and file cabinets.  Not anymore.   These days, a lot of what’s important to us are strings of zeros and ones, as more and more of our priceless documents and memories are stored on computers.

Computers aren’t foolproof, and accidents happen that can cause data loss.  It’s important to be prepared.  Why take chances with things that are important?  Make a New Year’s resolution to back up your data, and we Geek Squad Agents can help make it a reality.  Let me break it down – here are a few different solutions for a few different people.

• Flash Drive: Small, inexpensive storage, this device is ideal for a business professional on the go.  Just stick it into the side of your laptop!  The drive will show up with its own letter in My Computer, so you can easily drag your most important files into it.
  
  Drawbacks: The small size makes it easy to lose and those with a lot of data to store may run out of room quickly.

• External Hard Drive:Perfect for media hounds, or families with only one computer.  External hard drives have large capacities!  Buy one as big as the hard drive in the computer you own, and set your computer to back up your files once a week.  Both Windows and Apple machines have backup options built right into the operating system.  Check out the Backup and Restore feature for Windows, and Time Machine for Apple.Drawbacks: More expensive than flash memory and external hard drives can also be bulky to transport.

• Network Attached Storage (or NAS drive): Like an external hard drive, but typically with more storage, these are hard drives that can be accessed by multiple computers and devices in your home.  They’re perfect for families with many computers and a lot of files, and some can even be accessed wirelessly!  It’s like giving your family their own personal cloud.  Check out this two terabyte NAS device here.Drawbacks: NAS devices require a router, and can be tricky to integrate into your home network.  If you don’t have our number – oh wait, you do.

• EyeFi SD Card: This device is perfect for those on vacation.  Essentially, it’s an SD card with the ability to access the internet – just stick it in your camera and it will use the internet to send your pictures to your computer.  That way, if you drop your camera off the Golden Gate Bridge, at least you won’t lose the pictures.  Check out a 8GB Eye-Fi Card here.Drawbacks: Requires a wireless internet connection to work.

• Cloud Storage: If you use a lot of different computers and want to be able to access your data anywhere you go, or if you don’t like the idea of keeping track of another accessory, then cloud storage may be right for you.  The Cloud is a place where you can send your files to keep them safe if anything should happen to your computer.  You can access the files anywhere that you have an internet connection.  Many online companies offer Cloud storage, including SugarSync and Symantec (Norton.)  They’ll give you software that backs up your files for you, too – so no need to worry about it.  Some companies will even have data-management apps that you can install on your tablet or smartphone.Drawbacks: Backing your files up to the cloud requires an internet connection, and most services charge an annual or monthly fee.

We all have things that are important to us.  Don’t let the intangibility of your most important documents and memories stop you from taking steps to protect it.  As you can see, there’s a solution out there for everyone, and as always, your friendly neighborhood Geek Squad Agent is just a phone call away.  Chat with an Agent today at Http://www.geeksquad.com, at 1-800-GeekSquad, or stop by for a visit at your local Geek Squad Precinct in Best Buy.
-Agent Laura M.

Every day, Counter Intelligence Agent Laura M, of Precinct 329, heroically removes malware and saves the personal lives of computer users in Maple Grove, MN.  She has a vitamin D deficiency from playing too many video games.  She likes animals and books.