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Article · Apr 13, 2016

Honoring backup: Four ways it makes your day better

Color illustration of a cloud-based computer server.

Some days, it’s easy to take computer backup for granted. It’s always working in the background, and not calling out for much attention. You install it on your home—or home-office—computer and forget about it. Until that moment. The one where you step off a plane and realize your laptop is still on it. Or your car gets stolen, along with your computer. Or you knock your morning coffee on the keyboard. Then backup saves the day.

With that in mind, let’s take a moment to remember four ways backup makes your life better every day.

It’s the best protection against ransomware
Ransomware computer viruses are designed by cybercriminals to encrypt your digital photos and files and render them unusable until a hefty ransom is paid. And ransomware attacks are on the rise. Some best practices for avoiding a ransomware infection include keeping up with software updates and patches, steering clear of email attachments from unknown senders, and using up-to-date antivirus software. But remember that none of those precautions are foolproof. The best way to avoid paying the ransom is to take the initiative and back up your files with automatic cloud backup software before you’re infected. That way, if you never do fall victim to a ransomware attack, you can simply delete the infection files and restore clean version from backup. With cloud backup, there’s not need to pay the ransom.

You can access your files anytime, anywhere
If you’re using a high-quality automatic cloud backup service like Carbonite, then you have the option to access your files anytime, anywhere from any device, including personal computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. As long as there’s an internet connection, all files are readily available. That’s especially helpful for busy people who travel or work remotely.

It protects your data from natural disasters
It’s tough to think about, but what if your home or office fell victim to a flood, or a fire? I interviewed a Carbonite customer last year who lost practically everything to a fire—but not her family photos and journal writings. Those were securely backed up. Insurance companies can’t give your data back to you. That’s why you need off-site, automatic cloud backup. Cloud backup ensures your data will remain safe no matter what Mother Nature has in store.

Beats a thumb drive any day
Automatic cloud backup allows you to rest assured that business files, tax documents, precious family photos – and anything else stored in your computer – will be secure and accessible no matter what happens. You can’t get that kind of peace of mind if you’re not backing up your files. That’s certainly not the case for people who use external hard drives and have to remember to manually back up their data each day. And if you are using external hard drives as your only data backup, remember there are lots of things that could go wrong. Thumb drives are easily lost, stolen, or damaged. You don’t have to worry about any of that with cloud backup.

Learn more about Carbonite’s automatic cloud backup solutions today.

Author

Mark Brunelli

Senior Writer

Mark Brunelli is a Senior Writer on the Corporate Marketing team at Carbonite. He blogs about Carbonite happenings and IT industry trends.

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