How To Ensure You Always Have An Up-to-Date Backup
© Tracey Lawton, 2007

Having a system in place for regularly backing  up your important document is crucial when you are a solopreneur.  A hard drive failure can strike at any time, sometimes even new PCs can fail.

How would this affect you and your business if you hadn't got a recent back up of your work, not just your day-to-day work but all your software programmes too?

One of my clients recently had some computer problems. Her laptop had died, and she said to me during our chat:

"I haven’t backed up my desktop. So if this goes, as well as the laptop … I’m sunk."

I’m sure that we have all found ourselves in a similar situation at some point. Last year my hard drive went and needed to be replaced. Fortunately, I’d backed up all my critical work the day before on to CDs, but I still spent a lot of time recovering
and downloading files and programs which I hadn’t backed up.

The system that I was using involved backing up files and folders to several CDs i.e. one for clients, one for accounts, one for business etc. It was time-consuming and a bit of a faff; consequently I didn’t backup as regularly as I should!

For a system (any system, not just backing up) to work it needs to be simple and easy to maintain, and once it’s in place should run like clockwork.

This made me review my backup policies. I needed a more reliable system - one that was simple and easy to maintain, and would run like clockwork once I’d set it up. I’d heard and read a lot about external drives, and especially the Maxtor One Touch II. I
decided it was high time I took the plunge and bought one. It’s the best investment I’ve made in a long time. I can regularly, and most importantly EASILY, back up my whole PC. My backup system now runs itself, and I feel confident that should
anything happen to my PC I have an up-to-date backup in place.

Also consider backing up to an off-site service too, in addition to have an external hard drive.  That way you really are doing the best that you can to ensure you don't find yourself sunk!

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About the author:  Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business.  Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com

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