PC data security starts with a good backup

Why you should back up your data

• A Data backup protects you from data loss caused by hardware defects, especially hard drive damage or malware such as viruses and Trojans.
• A backup is also useful if you accidentally delete files.
• If you lose business documents you need for a tax audit, a backup helps protect you from significant penalties from the authorities.

Choose a backup storage medium

You need an external storage device for your backup. If you store your backup data on the same device as the originals, damage to that device means you lose both sets of data. In general, you can choose from:

• External hard drives that you connect directly to your computer. 
• DVDs. You need a burner that can write to the discs.
• Network-attached storage (NAS) devices that contain one or more hard drives. These NAS devices cost more than basic external drives. However, they can quickly pay for themselves if you want to back up several computers, for example. 
• Cloud: You can also avoid using physical media altogether and store your data directly on a cloud provider's server.

Which option you choose also depends on your budget. Especially with very large amounts of data, cloud backups can quickly become expensive. If you only need to back up one computer, an external drive is enough. DVDs are well suited to archiving large amounts of data, but they can be cumbersome to handle for daily backups. 

Develop your personal backup strategy

What data do you want to store separately and back up? It is certainly frustrating when system data from the operating system is lost, for example due to malware or accidental deletion. But this loss is not as serious as it may seem. After all, the system either has a mechanism for restoring it to its factory settings or can be reinstalled from the internet. 

Losing application data—all the files you created yourself—is more serious. Office documents, photos, movies, e-books—all the things that accumulate over time. When creating your backup, focus on this data. 

You can also make it easier to find things in a backup later by consistently storing your data only in the folders suggested by the operating system—in other words, in your user folder. That way, you only need to back up this folder. 

There are several approaches to creating a backup:

• Full data backup: Every backup saves all (user) data. The files are therefore available in full. This approach uses the most storage space. 
• Step-by-step (= incremental) data backup: This method starts by creating a full backup. After that, it saves only the files that have changed since the full backup. The next increment again includes only the data that has changed since the last incremental backup. This saves storage space. And data backup is also much faster. 
• Differential data backup: Here, too, a full data backup forms the basis. It then saves the files that have changed since the last full data backup. The difference from incremental backup is that it always saves all changes made since the initial full data backup, not only those made since the previous version.

When purchasing dedicated backup software, you need to choose between these options.

Keep backups secure

Security experts always recommend considering an "offsite backup." This means keeping a complete backup of all your files in a safe location. This could be a second hard drive stored outside your home, with a relative or friend. Or you can also create an additional backup in the cloud. While this takes a little more effort because you need to update the offsite backup regularly, it offers greater protection against data loss.

How to back up your data using operating system features

Windows and macOS already include an easy way to back up your data. 

Data backup in Windows 10

• Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen and select “Settings.” 
• Under “Update & Security,” click “Backup.” 
• Under “Add a drive,” choose whether to back up your files to an external drive or through a network address. 
• The contents of your user folder (C:\Users\Username) are now backed up hourly. 
• Under “More options,” you can change which files are backed up and how often.

Data backup in Windows 8

• Open Windows Settings by swiping in from the right edge of the screen or pressing „Windows-Key+ C“. The „Charms-Leiste“ appears. Click „Search“ and enter „File Version History“. 
• Now click „Select Drive“ to choose where to save your backup. 
• Then enable File History by clicking the „Turn On“ button. 
• The backup feature now creates a backup of your files and updates it hourly. Use the „Exclude Folders“ menu option to choose which files you do not want to back up. Under „Advanced Settings“, you can set how often your files are backed up and how long saved file versions are retained.

Data backup in Windows 7

• Open the Windows 7 Start menu by clicking the „Start“ button or the Windows 7 icon on the taskbar. 
• Next, click „Control Panel“ and then „System and Security“ in the following window. 
• In the next view, under „Backup and Restore,“ click „Create a computer backup.“ 
• If you have never used the backup feature before, you first need to set up a backup. To do this, click „Set up backup“ in the upper-right corner and enter your administrator password.
• Next, choose where to save your Data backup and select the files you want to back up. 
• Once you have configured all settings, you can set a schedule for automatic backups.

Backups on macOS with Time Machine

To use macOS’s built-in backup system, called “Time Machine,” you need an external hard drive or network-attached storage (NAS) that supports Time Machine.

• Connect the storage device and open your Mac’s “System Settings” from the “Apple” menu.
• Look for the “Time Machine” entry there. 
• In the next menu, turn on Time Machine and then click one of the available drives.
• After you select your storage device, the Data backup settings open. 

By default, Time Machine backs up your entire system, including almost all data, settings, and installed programs. Under “Options,” you can choose whether to exclude drives, partitions, folders, and individual files from the backup—and, if so, which ones.