Why is Backing Up Data Important?

When saving data on a device, it normally doesn’t cross our minds to back it up, meaning to have a duplicate copy in case the original is damaged. Most of us believe that saving data once means that it's safe and could never be lost. This is not the case! Even though some of us may question what the odds are that it happens to them, what we don’t realize is all the possible ways it could be lost. A computer infected by a virus, hard drive failure, or even having a bad installation of a program are a few causes for lost data. Backing up all the data files on a computer is extremely important just in case something goes wrong.

An operating system and its applications can be reinstalled, but it might be difficult to recreate the original data that was lost. That’s what makes data the most important part of your computer. Your important, personal, or critical information should always be backed up with a plan for recovering just in case a system failure happens. Sometimes losing data may not even be because of a virus or a system failure, but from a personal mistake. 

We are known to make mistakes from time to time. One of the biggest causes for lost files is because of our own doing. There has probably been a time where you’ve accidentally deleted a file, not saved your changes, lost a disk, failed to update anti-virus, or even spilled a drink on your computer. It happens, we all make mistakes. You could bring it to a computer repair specialist and see if they are able to recover your deleted files or destroyed ones, but it’s not certain that they will actually be able to recover them. Backing up your data beforehand will make you rest easier and save you money when something like this occurs.

Using temporary storage devices to save data may make you believe it is unnecessary to back up data. Temporary storage is not good as a long-term solution, but it’s a good short-term solution for saving data. Numerous people lose valuable files because of trusting a temporary storage device. Imagine losing all of your data because you thought the device you were using was good enough to hold it. You can prevent this by backing up your files.

Remembering to backup all of your data may seem like a pain, but in the end it will be worth it. Work can be redone, but if you would happen to lose files that you cherish, like family photos, these would be gone for good and no one wants that to happen. When backing up your data, remember to try and back it up to a separate location, just in case of a complete computer break down. An even better place would be to back it up online, if something would happen to your computer, you would still have access to your files from any computer that has internet access. If an accident occurs to your device causing you to lose your data and you backed up your files, you will be very happy you did it.