March 31st is World Backup Day!

In honor of World Backup Day, it’s a good time to double-check that all your important documents and files are saved and duplicated somewhere safe.
 
Backing up your computer, while occasionally time-consuming, is not too difficult (and certainly faster than trying to recover your stuff after a disaster!). However, many people only associate back-ups with computers… and you’re way more likely to send your cell phone through the washing machine than your laptop.
 
If you have valuable photos or other files on your phone or tablet, make sure those are backed up, too! Don’t worry – it’s usually not as much info as is on your computer, so this process can be as simple as “drag and drop.”
 

USB Drive – One simple way to make a physical backup is to copy all of your important files to a removable thumb drive. Place this somewhere safe, or use this to copy all of your files over to another device (like your computer).
 
Many smaller devices don’t have regular USB ports, but these days, it’s much easier to find a Micro USB flashdrive. Many, like these, can connect to either type of port. Make sure to go back every few weeks to add any new or updated files.
 
Cloud Storage – If you use a cloud storage service on your mobile device (and these days, one is usually included), you may already have some form of backup. If not, it’s easy to set up. Any files you add will then be stored online, ready to download back if you need them. Additionally, it makes it easy to access these files on any other devices you own.
 
Some free, common services include Google Drive and Dropbox. There are some storage limits on free accounts, but if you’d like to back up all your devices, premium accounts are also available.

 
Just a little effort now can save you a world of heartache if your devices are lost or stolen. To see some stats on how often these things happen, or to take the pledge to protect your stuff, visit www.worldbackupday.com.