In Case of Emergency

Disaster Recovery

Hurricane season is here, so you should prepare yourself in case of an emergency. I'm not just talking about hurricanes but any disaster. Backing up your data from your computer is probably the most important thing you will need to do. Your computer contains very important information such as, personal documents, insurance information, family photos, and more. In order to keep all of your information safe, you should purchase a USB thumb drive. These devices can hold large amounts of data in a small space. In the event that you have to evacuate your home, and leave all your possessions behind, it is important that your data can be transported quickly and easily. Backing up data to a USB thumb drive can help you avoid losing all of your for information.

Do I need special software?

No, you do not need special software to backup your data to a USB thumb drive. Some USB thumb drives include backup software. Knowing where your data resides on your computer is very important, because you need to know where to get it. Once you know where your data is located make copies of it on your USB thumb drive. You can create multiple folders on the thumb drive with dates of backups that you have made, this will allow you to organize your backups by date in case you need to go back a further date. I would not do this for pictures or documents that you do not change very often, as pictures can take up large amounts of space. I would use a separate USB thumb drive for pictures, and another one for important documents.

What if I have too much information to back up?

USB thumb drives are great devices, but one thing they do lack vast quantities of storage space. Yes, your USB thumb drive can hold few GigaBytes, but it surely isn't enough for all your home videos or all of your MP3 collection. There are other solutions out there to store larger quantities of data. Consider purchasing an external USB hard drive. external USB hard drives can hold hundreds of gigabytes or even thousands of gigabytes. They are a little bit bulkier, but very portable.