When it comes to audio and video editing and working with computer based files, the need for backup is essential. More and more, we are reliant on computer based editing systems and this may involve local workstation work, or editing on the cloud. Regardless of the situation you are working with, the importance of file backup can not be overstated. It is imperative to make sure you are backing up your work and files.

I am constantly amazed at the number of people who I think should have known better and thus, I know that I have a reputation for banging on like a broken records about this, but the need to backup everything is about shifting our goals and mindset so it

More About Backing Up Your Files –

Backing Up Your Work and Files

When I think to times past, when people have approached me asking for help after their hard disk crashed on their machine, or the ubiquitous coffee has been spilt on their machine, to the woes and agony that all their business data is now lost etc. I have often felt very badly for these good people, who had simply not learned up to that point in time, that they need to be vigilant in backing up their ddata.

It may be as simple as a school laptop with last week’s assignment on it, to a mom and pop business that has everything all on the one laptop, and when it fails for whatever reason, the whole ship sinks and the business data is lost or tax records are gone, to name just a few terrible examples. I think you get the point now..

So let’s explore this process in a little more detail and get to a solution that works for everyone.

Are Recover and Backup the same Thing?

Backing Up Your Work and Files

To answer this question, I will say yes and no.

In simple terms, a backup will get your data back if you have lost it, such as through a data failure or wiped disk or the office person accidentally erasing it the night before because they were super tired and not concentrating.

On the other hand, if you have a catastrophic failure like a ransom ware attack on your office, then not only will your data need recovery, but so too will all your systems, possibly all need replacement or rebuilding from the ground up.

However, to keep things simple, a data backup will suffice for most situations, but if you can, I always recommend an ultimate main Data Recovery plan for your business or home. For now, let’s concentrate on the base data backup.

What Needs to Be Backed Up?

In a word, I recommend everything, and certainly everything that will harm you if you do not have it available. I prefer to recommend to cover yourself fully and backup all your data.

The cost of backups these days are relatively low, compared to the cost of loss and spending hours recovering the data, if you can at all after a major failure and not having backups in the first place.

I recommend using a combination of both onsite backups as well as offsite, cloud based backups. This covers you in the event of damage to your premises, such as fire or flood and also lows you to place the backups in more than one place for added security. I know some managers are concerned about the cost of good cloud services, but let me assure you, the cost of data loss is far worse. It has happened to me after a major hack and I have vowed to never allow myself to be in that position ever again.

It was an expensive, painful lesson that kept me awake for six months till I had sorted it all out. It was a horrible lesson, but one I have learned from and I now have backups on site as well as off site in data houses.

However, given the cost of data loss and rebuilding your business, if there is even anything left to rebuild can be prohibitive.

prevention is better than the cure, so please be careful with the storage of your data.

It may be an obvious statement to make, but I am happy to do so anyway- please always use a unique password for everything in your business and every account you have logins for. Please use a separate password for every account you log into and Never Ever share or Reuse Passwords. It is a rooky mistake that can cost you dearly.

By so doing, you are putting your entire operation at risk as one compromised account can lead to at attacker guessing the same email and password for other accounts. I have seen this happen so many times, so please do not do it and reduce the risk of data loss through illegal break ins to your system..

I know I bang on about this stuff, but having learnt from these mistakes myself, I want to help you prevent a catastrophic failure on your system and protect your data.

Using a Virtual Private Network or VPN as part of your Data Backup

I can assure you that in addition to your regular backups, and using a Virtual Private Network, your systems will be much safer moving forward.

I also can refer you to the Australian Cyber Security Page on backup recommendations.