August 30
It’s that time of year again – the end of summer. As temperatures start to slowly drop students and employees are emerging from a summer daze hunkering down for the school year and getting business in shape for the fall season.
Here are 3 ways you can get data-ready for back-to-school & back-to-work:
Storage Upgrade
Bigger, Better, Faster!
Now is a great time of year to examine your storage needs. Maybe a newer, bigger SSD or a larger external backup drive would be a sound investment. Drives have a finite life-span and so cycling devices periodically is a great idea. A newer device is likely to be bigger and faster for your increasing data needs.
Backups
Do You Know Where Your Data Is?
Depending on your type of device or needs there are different strategies for maintaining good backups. Mobile devices typically back up over the cloud, whereas desktop and others may back up locally. Either way, a solid backup plan is key to business or personal data reliability.
Occasionally you should verify online cloud backup providers by making sure you have enough room in iCloud or Google Storage for your photos, contacts, and emergency documents. Ensure you know the usernames and passwords for these accounts. Setup recovery emails in case you get locked out so you can reset passwords easily to regain access.
In conjunction with cloud backups, a local backup strategy can often be faster to restore in case of problem and keep you in control of your own data. Keeping two copies of important data is recommended in order to lower the risk of data loss. Even a RAID NAS device for extra redundancy if your data is very critical.
Seasonal Cleanup
Grade Your Data
A periodic review and organization of your data can keep long-term backing up easier and efficient. Grade your data by its importance or sensitivity and then keep those absolutely safe both by keeping copies and utilizing security features like data encryption. Organize data by year, subject, etc. to make it easier to find in the future. Finally, de-clutter by getting rid of old data that is no longer needed, ie. outdated drivers or files for computers you no longer own, duplicates, etc.
Category: helpful hints
Tags: back to school, backup, best practices, cybersecurity, data security, students, tips
