Backup! Backup! Backup!

Backups are essential!

It's so easy to forget to backup or to forget to update your backup plan when the technology changes. Suddenly something happens and you realise you've lost things you'd really rather not have lost...

“Always have a Backup Plan” 
― Mila Kunis

Three times in the last 12 years I've been surprised by an unresponsive computer. The first time was back when I was still downloading emails to my actual computer - I lost all of them. Contact addresses, attached photos, important letters... I also lost photos, software, documents. All the bits I hadn't recently backed up to my portable hard-drive. Some folks got a bit pissed off with me and I was pretty upset with myself – as a graphic designer, and computing tutor working with computers for years, it really shouldn't have happened to me. But it did, and there was no 'undo' button!

“The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do.” 
― Ted Nelson

The most recent time it happened to me was last year. My computer had issues and I had to do a reset – losing recent work, fonts, and software (and lots of time). I was upset, but I didn't lose as much as I could have because I'd been following my Backup Plan. This time my email was all online – so no great loss. My photos and most work was backed up on 3 portable hard-drives and some was stored in the cloud and with friends & family.

“Make a game plan and stick to it unless its not working.” 
― Yogi Berra

My new Backup Plan involves making sure all the files I want to keep for the next 20, 50, or 100 years are accessible by modern technology. Tricky considering how fast technology is developing, but still achievable!
Have you done a backup recently? Or checked your Backups still work?
Stay safe out there people...