BACKUPS

How to protect your data with backups

📅 1 Sep 2026 · ⏱️ 4 min read

Did you know that 30% of people lose their data without a backup? A hard drive failure, viruses, theft, or accidentally deleted files can destroy years of work in seconds.

Backing up is a simple way to protect yourself – and you can make it automatic. Here's the guide.

The 3-2-1 rule – the golden rule of backups

3 — 2 — 1
3 copies · 2 different media · 1 off-site

This means:

  • 3 copies: Original + 2 backups
  • 2 different media: E.g. external drive + cloud service
  • 1 copy off-site: Cloud service or another location (e.g. at work)

This way, the destruction of one copy doesn't destroy all your files.

What should you back up?

  • 📷 Photos and videos
  • 📄 Documents (Word, Excel, PDF)
  • 📧 Emails (if local)
  • 💾 Important applications and their settings
  • 📋 Other files you don't want to lose

Backup options

1. External hard drive (cheapest)

The simplest way. Copy files to a USB drive or use automatic backup.

  • Price: €60–100 (1–2 TB)
  • Speed: Fast local copying
  • Risks: Drive can fail, theft, fire

2. Cloud service (easiest)

Files are stored on the internet – accessible from anywhere.

  • Google Drive: 15 GB free, 100 GB ~€2/month
  • OneDrive: 5 GB free, 100 GB ~€2/month
  • iCloud: 5 GB free, 50 GB ~€1/month
  • Dropbox: 2 GB free, 2 TB ~€10/month

3. NAS server (for advanced users)

Your own network server at home or in the office. All devices back up automatically.

  • Price: €200–500 + drives
  • Benefits: Full control, large storage
  • Risks: Requires setup

Automatic backup – do it once, forget it

Windows: File History

  1. Connect an external drive
  2. Open Settings → Update & Security → Backup
  3. Select "Add a drive"
  4. Enable automatic backup

macOS: Time Machine

  1. Connect an external drive
  2. Open System Settings → Time Machine
  3. Select the drive
  4. Time Machine backs up automatically every hour
💡 Tip: Set backups to run at night when you're not using the computer. This way it won't slow down your work.

Test your backup – don't trust blindly

A backup is useless if it can't be restored. Test at least once a year:

  1. Pick a random file from the backup
  2. Restore it
  3. Make sure it opens correctly

Summary

  • Follow the 3-2-1 rule
  • Back up automatically
  • Test restore regularly
  • Use both local and cloud copies

Want automatic backups?

We'll set up a working backup system for you – and make sure it works.

Request help →

📞 Or call: +358 45 114 0016