Tip - back up your data

This is the second in a series of 12 tips to help you improve your online safety.

Tip - back up your data

At this time of year, perhaps you’ve just created (or been given) a photo calendar - a good reminder of how important photos and other key documents are. If your device is infected by a virus, malicious software (malware) or accessed by a cyber criminal your data may be damaged, deleted or held to ransom by ransomware preventing you from accessing it. Backing up your data means you have another copy of it, which you can always access. Some backup options:

Set your computer to back up your data automatically

  • look for an online service such as Carbonite, or Crashplan which watch to see which files have changed, and, provided your computer is connected to the internet, back up automatically.

Back up your data locally

Use hybrid software for local plus cloud

  • Choose a product like Acronis True Image which backs up to an external hard drive but also has an allowance for online cloud backup included.

Notes

This article was originally published on the Online Safety Alliance