You need to back up your data. Here's how

Data is invaluable and protecting it is crucial. Here's a guide to the best practices for creating a reliable backup strategy, including the 3-2-1 rule

- Abhishek Baxi

A backpacker and professional travel planner, Jimeet (who prefers to go by his first name) is a digital nomad. For every trip that he plans for his clients, he has a slew of documents to manage and countless photos and videos to take care of. "I work with online documents, which are synced in real time to the cloud to avoid any risk of losing data in case of any mishap. I also carry a portable hard disk to manually backup my photos and videos—and when I find solid Wi-Fi somewhere, I upload them to the cloud," says Jimeet. That's not all—once he's back home after a trip, he catalogs and archives all the important data on an external hard drive.

From cherished family photos and vital financial records to critical business files, losing your data unexpectedly can be a nightmare. In a recent study by Researchscape, an international market research consultancy, India came out on top in terms of data backup habits—Indians lead in daily backups, ahead of the US and UK. That said, 28% of Indian respondents, the second highest globally, do not back up their personal data. And therefore, data loss is common; 71% of Indian respondents have experienced data loss due to device failure, accidental deletion, or cyber threats.

UNDERSTAND YOUR BACKUP NEEDS
The first step in any backup strategy is understanding your data and its value. Not all files hold the same importance, and therefore not all need the same level of protection. Personal documents, sentimental photographs, communication archives, and irreplaceable business data demand a more robust backup system. Then there's also system settings and preferences including browser bookmarks, application configurations etc.