First of all, let's remind ourselves of what a back-up really is. It's a copy of your data in TWO or more places. It is not a transfer of data to an external storage device that removes it from the original location - unless you are making two or more copies on different devices in separate physical locations.
Even back-up devices can fail and, if you only have one data copy on one device, the risk of losing everything remains the same.
You can back-up to various devices such as an external hard drive, USB memory stick, online cloud-based facilities or optical storage (cd's, dvd's etc.). There are other devices, but you get the idea.
I don't intend to discuss the merits of each device, but I do want to stress that ANY back-up, on ANY device is better than nothing.
Wherever you choose to store your data, make sure you do it regularly. Once a week for the light home user, or everyday for the heavy data generators (authors, etc).
IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY DATA UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES...
Always keep a copy off-site. That is, with a neighbour, a relative or at work.
Accidents can happen - fire, flood, children, parents and dogs have all been known to destroy precious data.
Make your back-up NOW and sleep better at night.
If you think you have lost data, visit our data recovery page, we can help.
