Deciding Which Data is Most Important to Backup
by: jameswalsh
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Word Count: 731
This is perhaps more true of computer systems than any other technology pertaining to common, every day use. In the case of computers, what can happen to anyone is, that after slogging days and nights to create a large and important file of data, all of a sudden, without any prior warning, the given data is lost to its creator.
This can be a truly traumatising thing for any individual as it means that all the effort put in to collect the given data has been in vain. It does not matter as to what this data is, as long as it is of any importance to its owner, the loss is bound to be felt acutely.
Data loss can occur from any one or more causes. It can occur in the event of a natural calamity such as an earthquake or a tornado or a volcanic eruption, wherein the computer system holding the data is adversely affected, or destroyed.
Even in case of a fire in the premises of the computer system, the same scenario can be repeated. Even if the computer system is not damaged by fire itself, there is a possibility of harm, from the material used to curb the fire.
Intentional or accidental deletion of a file or a folder can also lead to loss of data. It may be the case that data, when not stored properly, is lost due to computer formatting. Similarly in the event of theft, the data may be irretrievable.
Besides the above, data can be lost on account of a hardware malfunction or a logical error in the computer system itself. Of course, even if one has taken care of all these possibilities, even then there is always a chance of a computer virus or Trojan or any other similarly serious problem striking the computer and destroying the data.
Irrespective of the cause behind it, a loss of data can be, as already stated, a major set back for any individual or company. Be it a top secret government department, a military unit or a more common thing such as a financial institution or a hospital or an individual, the effect is same, on one and all.
In order to safeguard oneself from such a horrendous possibility, one should always be alert and take an appropriate back up of all important data as part of his or her own, personal contingency planning. This small but vital step can go a long way in mitigating all possible suffering that a data loss event can entail.
On a personal level, I always take backup copies of data that is of importance to me. In order to do the needful, l I utilise a universal serial bus flash drive, as its compact size and massive ability to store large amounts of data make it optimum for my personal usage.
Taking backup of data which is of importance to me, is definitely worth every bit of the hassle involved. I still remember the day, when I had my computer reformatted for the first time and as a consequence I lost my entire address book in one go. It was a very troublesome day before the computer expert arrived to retrieve my data.
Amongst the most important data, that I take care to back up regularly is my address book. Having lost it once, I realise how helpless I had felt when I discovered that I cannot contact a large number of people owing to this accidental deletion of my records.
Another important category of data, of which I take regular back ups, is my important letter inbox; my correspondence with individuals who are of importance to me in my line of work. This is very important as sometimes one is forced to fall back upon a previous letter for an important piece of information. In case this data is lost, then it can place one in a compromising situation at a later date.
Similarly my personal family photo album is also of importance to me. The same is the case with the files on my accounts. It has taken a long time to finalise my song collection so I take regular back ups of that also.
About the Author
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
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