When it comes to data, backups are an absolute must. And, any good disaster recovery plan must test the ability to restore those backups. A backup is only as good as your ability to restore it!

One problem with laptops is that they tend to exhibit two behaviors:

1. They are not always connected to a network.
2. They are not always powered on.

Generally, desktops don’t have these problems. Some businesses turn them off at night but it’s common (and usually good) to leave them running, even in this “green” age.

If you rely on your end users, or yourself (if you are the end user), to backup manually, then you are asking for major problems. That’s because about 90% of the time this means that no backup will occur, or even if one does happen once in a blue moon, it’ll be so rare as to be less than useful (though better than nothing!).

Thankfully there are many excellent online backup services these days that are extremely easy, very inexpensive, and automated. That’s a home run.

They work by backing up files on a regular basis whenever the laptop is powered on and connected. Though laptops aren’t always powered on or connected to the net, they are frequently turned on and connected for awhile.

Data is stored across the Internet on the backup provider’s servers. Again, it’s very easy, remarkably inexpensive, and does not rely on users to remember to backup.

The two heavyweights are Carbonite and Mozy. They are the ones talked about most. But there are many others as well–all quality solutions.

Get those backups going before you learn the hard way!

1. Duh!
2. True, I really should, but…

The first folks–the “duh” crowd–will exclaim that this is just dead obvious. Of course regular, automated backup is absolutely essential, they’ll say. Every one of us is only seconds away from a hard drive crash, spilled coffee, or theft, all of which could toast our data. Duh!

Unfortunately, these “duh” people will be shouted down by the other crowd, which outnumbers them about 20-to-1. These are the masses, the crowded sea of people who never back up. They know they should. They know it’s absolutely foolish not to. But they don’t do it. They think it’s hard. They won’t check it out. They won’t just use Mozy.com or Carbonite or any of the great, simple services. They won’t buy a USB hard drive (external) and at least back up there. They just won’t. And almost everybody, even after all these years and technological advancements (and reliance), still falls into this category.

I read story, after story, after story of stolen laptops, where the data lost is completely irreplaceable. Photos of lost loved ones. Childhood photos. Documents. Emails. Memories.

Sure, MyLaptopGPS can recover those, even after the theft. But what about a hard drive crash? There a million ways to lose data, and they’re very, very common.

Back up. Stop making excuses. It’s easy. The alternative is devastating.