Backup Software

The majority of people within the UK own computers and the majority of businesses also rely on computers in order for their business to perform effectively. Computers often hold sensitive and secure data which if lost would cause much damage in regards to finance and reputation. Therefore due to the importance of data held on computers it is extremely important to backup computers. Backup software is often available for free, and external backup hardware can also be purchased. Backing up a computer means that if a disaster was to happen then the data could be retrieved. This is ultimately the main benefit of backing up data, the possibility to retrieve the data if it is unexpectedly lost.
As previously mentioned, a lot of secure data is being held on many systems by businesses, this can include customer data within databases. This data can often not be gathered from else where and therefore the loss of these databases may impact greatly upon the operations of a business.
Although it should also be noted that home users should also backup their systems to protect them from the risk of lost data. This is often a mistake of many students, losing coursework which has taken large amounts of time and can not easily be replaced. If this was backed up the documents could be retrieved easily.
Backup software is generally easy to use and can be purchased online or from a retailer. Some software requires the user to individually select the data which is required to be backed up. More advanced software will automatically back up everything on the system, or back up the items in the selected files.
A popular source used to back up data is using an external hard drive; this allows all of the data on the computer hard drive to be backed up on to the external drive. This in essence provides a copy of everything on the computer, as long as the external drive has enough memory space to store everything. External hard drives are used by many people in order to back up their music, if this has been bought online it may have been expensive and therefore individuals will not want to use this data. An external hard drive also provides the user with the possibility to transfer the data around with them and access their data on any system they use.
Encryption software is becoming increasingly popular with many businesses; such back up software automatically encrypts the data as it backs it up. This means it is making the data secure and safe which will mean anybody accessing it will not receive the full display of data. Encryption also allows the data to be uploaded on to the internet or a server much easier.
As backing up data is so easy, there is little reason not to perform such activities. The loss of data can bring major challenges and many stories have recently reached the media surrounding government departments losing confidential data due to technical problems, this data was not backed up and has tarnished the governments reputation.