World Backup Day is March 31st; Are Your Genealogy Files Safe?

We all know that April 1st is April Fool’s Day, but you probably didn’t know that the day before, March 31st, is World Backup Day. Now, perhaps you are wondering, what on earth is that, and why does it matter? We have all come to rely on technology for so much in our lives, and we often assume it’s going to just work all the time. Sadly, that is not the case. Anything electronic is subject to sudden glitches, and that could mean a damaged file, a file that doesn’t save properly, a file that suddenly disappears, or, even worse, an entire hard drive that malfunctions. What would happen to all your genealogy research if your computer malfunctioned?

If you are smiling right now because you have a backup system working behind the scenes, then kudos to you! But, if the thought of losing your genealogy files, your photos, videos, music, and whatever else you keep on your computer is terrifying because they are not backed up, then it’s time to take some action!

World Backup Day originated in 2011 as a month-long focus on backing up computer data, but that soon changed into just one day intended to remind us how important it is to keep multiple copies of our files. 

Most experts agree we should follow a 3-2-1 rule when it comes to backing up:

Three copies of every important file stored on two different forms of media with one copy off site.

 

How do we best protect our files?

• Get into the habit of saving copies of everything important in multiple locations: external hard drive, flash or travel drive, online (cloud) storage, such as Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, and online backup services, such as BackBlaze or Carbonite.
• Remember that you don't have to back up your software; you can always replace that. It's the unique files you have created that need extra protection.
• Invest in good quality flash and external hard drives and use them! 
• Consider migrating anything you have on CD or DVD to more reliable storage. Most new computers no longer have CD or DVD drives, and those disks have a very high failure rate.
• Take advantage of your computer’s built in capacity for backing up. Mac users have Time Machine; Windows users have File History.
• Update the files you have in cloud storage regularly, so the latest versions are safe. If you prefer, set those services to automatically sync to your computer or mobile phone.
• Consider paying for a backup service that will automatically upload your files to the cloud on a regular basis, so you don’t have to remember to do it.

Do you need more impetus to back up your files?

• About 140,000 hard drives fail in the U.S. EVERY WEEK!
• About one in ten computers will become infected with a virus each month.
• More than seventy million mobile phones are lost or stolen each year.
• Almost one-third of data that is lost is because of user error.

Anything you do is better than not doing anything at all. If you have never backed up your important files, now is a perfect time to take the first step. If it’s been a while since you’ve backed up your files, set a calendar alert to March 31st, and take some action. And, if you are among the savvy computer users who regularly back up all your important data, enjoy World Backup Day with that big smile on your face. (And maybe a cold adult beverage!)

Want to learn more?

“Protect Your Data,” World Backup Day, https://www.worldbackupday.com/en

“What Should You Be Aware of World Backup Day 2023,” by David Darlington, Recoverit, 2023, https://recoverit.wondershare.com/data-backup/world-backup-day.html