5 Tips To Prevent Data Loss

I regularly receive emails from users who need to recover lost files, and, unfortunately, at that point it is too late to help, as the damage is already done.

The only guaranteed method to recover lost files is to restore them from a backup, and that is why it is so important to have a system to prevent data loss.

Here’s what I recommend to prevent against data loss:

1. Never store your files on the same drive as your operating system

Most people will save their files on the same drive as their operating system. On Microsoft windows this is usually the C:/ Drive.

This however is the worst place to store your important documents and files as when the system fails or gets infected with a virus it is the main system drive that will be affected.

Often the only solution is to reformat which wipes everything on the drive. If your data is stored on another drive then this issue is resolved.

Many external drives also have the advantage of coming bundled with automatic backup software for which you can simply specify the folders and the software will take care of the rest.

2. Back up your files regularly, no matter where they’re stored

Just having copies can sometimes still not be enough. Sometimes the backups can fail and go without you noticing it until it’s too late.

When your data is on the cloud however it is automatically backed up most cloud storage providers have software which automatically backs up your files regularly and when modified.

The servers on which the files are stored also have backups taken and the data is also stored across multiple servers so reducing the chance of losing your data.

3. Beware of email attachments

Even if you’re convinced that your email attachments don’t contain viruses, they could still cause you to lose your data.

If you receive a document with the same name as one on your drive, and you download this attachment and set it to save in the same location, you run the risk of overwriting the file that’s already there.

So make sure that when you download your attachments that you’re not overwriting anything.

4. Beware of user error

A common way for users to lose data is to accidentally delete files when deleting multiple files or even thinking something is no longer required.

5. Keep hard copies of your files

Although we can’t do this with every file you can with images and documents.

Having a hard copy will at least be better than losing it completely and if it’s a document it can be scanned with some OCR software giving you a digital copy again.