Video, pictures, and other types of files require tons of space. The Hard Drive that comes with your computer may not be sufficient to hold everything you want to store. What are your options for storing and backing up your data?
Buy a bigger Hard Drive
If you have a desktop, then it probably has room for at least one extra Hard Drive, if not more. If you have a laptop, then adding a second Hard Drive probably isn’t an option. Some laptops come with a space for a second Hard Drive, but they’re rare. If you want a bigger Hard Drive for your laptop, it likely means removing your existing Hard Drive and replacing it with a larger one. For a laptop its almost always cheaper to buy extra capacity at the start than to add it later. For a desktop, you get more bang for your buck buying a resonably-sized Hard Drive at first and then adding more later when you need it.
Optical Drive (CD, DVD, Blu-ray)
You probably have a DVD burner on your computer. Burning DVDs of all your files on a regular basis just in case your hard drive crashes or your computer is lost or damaged is a very good idea. DVDs are an easy and inexpensive way to back up your work in case of catastrophe. A Blu-ray drive will also let you back up your system, but with much more capacity, so you can put more on each Disc.
Network Attached Storage
A Network Attached Storage device, or NAS, is a box which you can put one or more Hard Drives into. The real advantage of a NAS system is that better quality units can be set to automatically back up your files. Just like your Word Processor saves the document you are working on every few minutes, a NAS can be set up to backup all your files every few minutes or once an hour as they change. This means that all your important documents can be backed up as they are created or altered. This makes it the most comprehensive and secure form of backup available.
A NAS system can be placed in a separate, secure location. If someone breaks in and steals your computer equipment, all your files would be safely stored in a separate location. You could put the box in a fireproof enclosure, or a separate building, and then it would take a massive catastrophe before you lost your data. If your data is critically important to you, then spending a few hundred dollars on a NAS system may be a worthwhile investment.
Another advantage is that a NAS system can be used with multiple computers. If you have 3-4 computers in your home or small office, then they can all use one device to backup their files. Having only one device for all your computers makes this option more cost-effective.
Online Storage
Like a NAS system, online storage can be programmed to back up your files automatically on a schedule. Instead of buying the hardware, you pay a monthly fee to rent storage. The advantage is that you can back up your files anywhere you have Internet access, only pay for what you need, and expand your storage any time you need to. The disadvantage is that someone else is storing your data. I don’t mean to comment on the reuptation of the companies that offer this service, but some of your files, for legal or privacy issues, may be too important to be let out of your control.
Use Multiple Strategies
However you choose to manage your data, the best strategy is to use more than one of the methods I’ve just described. Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket, as they say.
Social networking sites allow you to easily share and store photos and videos online, usually for free. But, many of them do not store pictures or videos at their full resolution. This means that you can retrieve them if you lose all your other copies, but they won’t be the same high-quality files you started out with, so you may not want to plan on using Facebook or Myspace as your primary means of backup.
Your data, whether its your work, your photos, your tax records, or whatever it is you choose to store, is precious. Take the time to back it up on a regular basis. Once a week, once a month, once a day. Pick a schedule and stick to it. That way you’ll be best prepared for the worst.
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