Backing up your files is something we are all told to do but often times it is a task that falls by the way side. I know I have been guilt of failing to back up my data a time or two.

Generally we just expect our important documents to always be available and we silently hope and pray that our computer never crashes. But inevitably there come a time when malfunction or user error results in the loss of your valuable information.

Well just last week my laptop took an unexpected dive stranding many important documents. Well as you can imagine I freaked out and quickly strutted down to the local apple genius lab but they where unable to help. In an effort to keep the hope of getting my information back  alive I searched for some local data recover experts but their prices where extortionate, ranging from $600 to $1,000 dollars. Fortunately I found Simon Partridge at Data Recover Man who was able to restore my data in minutes for a fraction of the cost quoted by other companies.

To help safe guard you and your company from data loss I would suggest implementing the following procedures.

1). Back up all of your information weekly at a minimum using an external hard drive. External hard drives are becoming increasingly affordable allowing users to get 250+ gigabytes for under $100 dollars.

2). Utilize online data storage. There are a lot of good web based data storage companies that allow you to effortlessly back up your computers files.  Online data storage gives you flexibility to access your files remotely and protect you from misplaced or lost external hard drives.

Online Data Store Resources:

Mozy:  You can get 2gb free storage including unlimited file size/bandwidth. For business users you can upgrade to a low cost pro accounts for under $5/month.

Box.net:  Offers 1gb free including collaboration folders, mobile access and public file sharing making it a handy business tool as well as a storage service.

Tags: Data Recovery, Hard Drive, Online Storage.