Backing up is something most people don't really give any thought to until something goes wrong. Up until fairly recently backing up has either been very expensive or too complicated. Expensive because the software has always been too high for the average user and the recommended back up machine has been a tape drive. These can be £300 plus. Complicated because people just don't understand what backing up is. Truth is you don't really have to spend silly amounts of cash but you do need to think things through.

What is a backup? In its simplest form you have to have any data, pictures or files in at least TWO places. If a hard drive fails,have a fire or burglary or some sort of disaster  you need to be able to access a "Spare" set of data. Most people have two sets of keys to their car - a backup is the same principle. Now some people will make you do a backup of a full computer. This will include settings and drivers and all sorts. Its nice to have but if your computer is more than 6 months old then chances are you wont get an exact replacement. That makes the full backup redundant.

What are the options?

 There are quite a few products on the market that you can use. Some hardware will come with backup software (Although it tends to be a lite version - meaning you will have to pay for the full version) You need to establish how much data you have to backup before choosing your hardware.

If you have just MS Word files or spreadsheets then you may find that a usb memory stick is all you need. You can simply copy your files to the memory stick and have it safe in TWO places.

If you have downloaded music or a keen photographer then you are unlikely to be able to get away with just a memory stick. The next option would be an external hard drive based system. Basically its a hard drive in a fancy case. The more flashing lights doesnt mean its any better than one in an ordinary case. The prices can be wildly different though for the same "guts" 

Third option is a tape drive. These are expensive and for most people would probably not be the right solution. It basically can backup your data to a tape. This is faster than a usb drive but no more safe than the others.

Another option is to backup to another machine if you have more than one machine at home or work. The down side of this is the backup is not off site. However if you backed each machine to another you then have access to backups without buying extra hardware.

Back Up Software