March 31 Reminds Us That One Small Action Could Save Your Digital Life

You’ve been waiting a whole year for it. The wait has ended! World Backup Day lands every March 31, right in that stretch of blink-and-you-miss-it holidays that some of us have off from work and others don’t. It’s highly unlikely you won’t get a holiday for this one either (though maybe we should lobby for it), but it does come with a pretty important message: protect your digital life before it disappears.

Data loss can happen in all kinds of ways. A cyberattack, a spilled cup of coffee, or even a simple wrong click can wipe out important files in seconds.

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If you think it won’t happen to you, think again. Studies show that millions of devices are lost, stolen, or infected with malware every year, and many people never recover their data. In fact, hundreds of phones are reported lost or stolen every minute worldwide; 113 to be more precise, and malware continues to target everyday users. On top of that, according to the World Backup Day website, 21% of people have never, ever backed up their devices. If you’re one of them, perhaps you should reconsider.

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• For laptops and desktops, you have a couple of solid options:
• External hard drives: Affordable and reliable. Tools like Windows Backup or Time Machine can automate the process. Otherwise, many of them are essentially large USB drives that you can copy your important file right to.
• Cloud storage: Services like Google Drive or OneDrive keep your files accessible from anywhere. Just remember, you’re trusting a third party with your data. If they experience a data breach, whoever got into their systems, can run off with your data.

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• Your smartphone holds just as much, if not more information.
• Enable automatic backups using cloud services on your device, or
• Connect your phone to a computer occasionally for a local backup.

The same goes for any of your tablets.

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A good backup plan doesn’t take much effort:

• Turn on automatic backups.
• Test your backups to make sure they work.
• Keep a copy separate from your main device.
• Don’t forget the passwords or security for your backup devices.

A small step with big payoff

Backing up your data may not be exciting, but losing it definitely gets your attention. Take a few minutes this World Backup Day to protect what matters most.

Go ahead, make it official: “I solemnly swear to back up my important documents and memories.”