A difficult conversation
In all my years in IT, the most difficult conversations I have had is telling someone their data is gone. After all, that is what computers are for, to store retrieve and process data. I do not have to tell you how upsetting it can be to lose photos, videos and work representing memories, or hours of effort. We tend to think electronic data is forever, the fact is unless you take steps to backup, it can be gone in an instant. With advances in storage technology, such as solid-state drives (SSD) data loss has drastically been reduced, even so proper backup procedures should still be followed.

Easier than ever
Gone are the days of backing up on floppy disks, tape, or other cumbersome media. With cloud services like Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive, backups are easier than ever. Saving your files to a specified directory is all that is required. Most allow you to have the same files on multiple computers and other devices such as tablets and phones.

OneDrive example
Most cloud storage providers like OneDrive link in with your computer’s directory structure.

This allows file backups to be seamless.

Anything created in or copied to a linked folder will be uploaded to the cloud. A copy of these files will reside on all connected devices and in the cloud.

Things to watch out for
While backing up to the cloud is convenient, you must trust your cloud provider. Where is my data stored? who has access to it? is it encrypted? – are just a few of the questions you should ask. After all your data is important, that is why you are backing it up in the first place.

We can help
At this point you might be wondering, “That’s great news for those folders, but what about the rest of my computer?”. Full computer backups are beyond the scope of this blog. However, we at Olive + Goose would be happy to assist with your backup needs. We offer hybrid (onsite/cloud) and direct to cloud backup solutions. Email [email protected], or your Account Executive for more information.