3 Important Ways to Prevent Data Loss

Computers are just a link between users and data. Data is the reason why you browse the internet, buy external storage hardware and basically buy a computer in the first place. This article highlights a few ways to ensure that this data that is so precious to the user is safe.

In the modern world, data is king. With paperless documents in every office, digital currencies and identities, your data defines you. Losing your data or having it fall into the wrong hands can have unimaginable consequences. Below are some tips you should use to safeguard your data.

1. Back it up

A backup is simply at least one extra copy of the original data saved in a different location. There are various ways to back up your data. Most prominently:

1. Online: This is when you save your files in a cloud based system. This is the most recommended form of backup because you can access your files from any other computer from any part of the world as long as you have access to the internet.
2. Offline: This includes system backup files within the disk or duplicating the files you want to backup in an external storage media such as a CD or a flash drive. If you have some important data, it is advisable that you create an offline backup, for example with a flash drive and store it off site. This will make it easy to recover in case of a physical disaster, such as a fire.

As you backup your data, you should remember to verify the data on the backup. Many people just trust the backup process and only check the data when they have already lost the original files. Furthermore, remember to update your backup each time you update your original data.

2. Adapt healthy working practices

Some of the most common causes of data loss are human errors, both generated and avoidable. As you create, edit and consume data, you should always have your data’s security in mind. Let’s look at some of the ways to do that:

• Partition your disk into program and data sections. This will help in the recovery of data in case something happens to the program files.
• If possible, use NTFS files instead of the FAT32 file format. NTFS files give you more flexible filenames and directory. Additionally, NTFS files give you more security control and have higher chances of recovery.
• Switch off the computer when not in use. Leaving it on power saving mode is not enough. This gives it some time to cool down and avoids damage from power-related problems like power surges.
• Avoid unnecessary encryption. Encrypted files are much harder to recover than open files. If you are not dealing with sensitive or private data, there’s no need to encrypt it.

3. Learn how to recover data

This may sound like you need to take another whole course. In the past you’d have had to, but gone are those days. With software like DataNumen Data Recovery, anyone who can use a computer can recover data. This software comes in handy when you have already lost your data and have no available backup. In just a few clicks, you have high chances of getting it all back regardless of the level of corruption or when it was lost.