Have you ever work up from a bad dream with very real anxiety that was then overcome by a deep feeling of relief when you realized it was just a dream? That is how it feels to lose critically important files and then remember you have it all backed up. With a current and working backup in place, it only takes a few clicks to make all well again.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a backup in place. It’s easy to put it on the to-do list, right below “reorganize sock drawer.” The problem is that in the meantime, files can be accidentally deleted, a hard drive can crash, a laptop can be stolen, a power outage can render a computer unbootable and the list goes on.

Here are a couple tips to push you over the hump if you don’t already have a backup in place:

Make Your Backup Process Simple

The easiest way is to use a cloud system such as Carbonite for backups. You download the software, start a trial or buy the subscription and your backup starts in a matter of minutes.

If you have an external hard drive, you can use the built in software in your computer to do the backup. Mac has “Time Machine,” Windows 7 has their cleverly named “Backup and Restore.” For older systems you can use a product such as Norton Ghost.

Check Your Backups

Having a backup in place is great. Having a backup that you know you can rely on is better. Just like a fire drill, you should know the process to save your assets before anything goes wrong for real. Choosing either of the above options for backup, you’ll be provided with instructions or prompts for restoring data. You don’t need to restore all of the data to prove it works, just a folder or a file.

The Takeaway:

  1. Make your backup process simple
  2. Check your backups
  3. Sleep better