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Speed Dial: 60-Second Marketing Insight Newsletter
Last Monday evening when I was finishing up the "Shock and Awe[some]" issue
of 'Speed Dial', a lightning flash hit me. No, no, not a bolt of wild
inspiration- - the other kind, the one Mother Nature likes to send along for a little shock & awe of
her own.
When a tree 65 yards from our house was hit, the lightning strike totally
toasted the Invisible Fence, sprinkler & alarm systems, Wii, satellite TV, an old big-screen
TV, and the DSL modem.
It could have been a lot worse.
You've probably heard the saying, "there are two kinds of people in the world: those
who have lost their data... and those who will."
Whenever I heard that, I nodded along. Yes. I've really gotta back up my files. One of these days.
That went on for more years than I care to admit, but I finally DID back my system up, as good fortune
would have it, just two short weeks ago. Now I realize that in addition to lightning, I'm also
vulnerable to laptop theft, random acts of clumsiness (spilled coffee, dropped laptop), viruses, and plain
old equipment failure.
The point is this: imagine all your work, photos, audio/video, and key documents gone, irretrievably.
Seriously, can you imagine it all... completely and totally gone? What would that be like?
If you tend to play little too fast & loose with the whole "it won't happen to me" approach, I hope you'll take action now & consider the following:
1) An External Hard Drive:
The idea here is to get everything of value off your computer(s) & onto
a separate storage device like one of these, which start at $40. Once you've downloaded the files you
want to have backed up, stash your external drive somewhere secure (some people go as far as to use a fireproof
safe or safe-deposit box). Click here and here to learn more about using an external
hard drive.
2) Online Services:
If you don't want to use an external hard drive, or if you'd like even
more protection, you may want to back up your key files using an online server. Three of the most
popular are DropBox, Carbonite, and Evernote; low-level
storage is available for free.
Please note: do not put confidential company/client files on an online server.
While these online services are committed to defending themselves from hackers, it's wise to
keep sensitive data elsewhere.
3) A System:
Ah, here's the rub. It won't do us much good if we use our external drives & online
servers only once in a blue moon. Backing up regularly is the key, whether it's once a day, week, or month. Set
up a recurring reminder on your calendar or follow the process outlined
here.
However you choose to protect yourself from computer catastrophe, don't wait 'til lightning
strikes- - I urge you to take action now. Enjoy your week, and I'll see you next Tuesday! -
Marie
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