You know about backing up files at work, but when you get home it is easy to overlook the home computer, which in so many cases has insinuated itself into household routines. You come home, you check your email. You need to write a quick thank you to a friend, you run to the computer to pull up her address. You want to keep up with your nieces and nephews, you request pictures be sent to you through email. Yet often it is easy to forget about maintaining current backed up files here too, and you never know when an emergency will occur. Choose one of the quick and simple ways to be sure you do not lose valuable information:
- Automatic online backups like Mozy (www.mozy.com) have free programs for home use
- JumpDrives (sometimes called thumb drives or USB flash drives) can hold quite a bit of information.
- DVD backups will store up to 4.7 GB.
- External hard drives such as Seagate’s FreeAgent (www.seagate.com/freeagent) can be easily taken with you.
As with everything that organization entails, you should regularly set aside time to back up your home files and clearly label your external storage devices. Make this necessary step a part of your regularly scheduled routines.
