Risky Business – why you shouldn’t store important files locally

Are you in the habit of storing some or all of your important files locally? And by locally we mean on your own personal drive or desktop, instead of the server or other backed up storage drives in your organisation. If so, you’re taking a big, big risk.

Imagine if your laptop was stolen and everything (or even some of your data) was stored locally, without any back-up whatsoever. The thought of never being able to retrieve those important files again would be devastating, wouldn’t it?

Storing files locally: Other considerations

It’s not just theft you have to think about but disasters in the home and workplace too. If you have files stored on your PC or laptop and it gets damaged by fire, a flood or even spilling a drink on it (which happens!), you will have no straightforward way of getting them back. There’s also nasty computer viruses and malware to consider. Even if you have great security software in place, there’s always a chance that a virus will seep through the cracks and corrupt or encrypt your files, leaving them unusable.

Backing up your files is essential

There’s no two ways about it, backing up your files is absolutely essential, whether they’re for personal or business use. If the files are important to you and you access them regularly, then they need to be backed up to another location.

USB drives / external hard drives

When it comes to backing up your files, you have a number of different options. The first is to use devices like USB drives and external hard drives.

Whilst these will provide a place for you to store your important files, separate from your PC or laptop, there are still a few risks you need to consider. One is that you may lose your USB drive. It could also be stolen or destroyed. This is why it’s important that if you do back-up to a USB that you store it in a separate building to your PC or laptop and ensure all of your files are encrypted (something we’ll talk more about later).

Cloud storage

One of the best places you can store your important files is in the Cloud. This involves paying a Cloud provider a monthly fee so you can store your files on their secure servers.

The great thing about Cloud storage is that it allows you to log in from any internet connected device in the world and access your files from the internet. This means that if your laptop gets stolen or your PC gets damaged in a workplace disaster, you will still have access to all of your important files via the Cloud. And, with the right service, they can be restored to a replacement laptop without too much disruption or downtime.

Despite Cloud back-up solutions getting better and better all of the time, some people are still wary about storing their important information on another company’s servers. To eliminate these worries, we recommend choosing a reputable Cloud company that uses robust security solutions to protect their servers. You should also consider encrypting your files before sending them to the Cloud.

Encryption

For those who don’t know, encryption is a process of converting standard text into cipher text. It is the most effective way of achieving data security, as it will mean that if anyone intercepts your data or tries to steal it, they will not be able to read it.

Only those with access to a secret code or password will be able to decrypt your files and access the information inside them. Whether you’re backing up files from your PC to a USB drive or to the Cloud (the better option), we highly recommend ensuring your data is encrypted.

Finding the right back-up solution for your business

Here at Grant McGregor we specialise in helping clients to keep their data secure.

As an award-winning technology company, we’ve spent hours researching and testing the raft of services available to find the best and most cost-effective – so you don’t have to!

And, we put our good name to the solutions that we do choose to make sure you’ve got our full backing and support when it counts.

We can help you find the right back-up solution for your laptop or all the important data in your business and ensure you know all there is to know about Cloud back-up solutions. For more information, please get in touch on 0131 603 7910.

Image credits:  perspec_photo88