Making a case for securing data regularly

Saturday, Mar 31, 2012

Gulf News

Dubai It is World Backup Day (WBD) today. Now who would have thought that there would be a designated day to remind us of something as basic as the need to back up data?!

The independent initiative to raise awareness about backup started out as an idea by Reddit, the online social news website.

The aim is to encourage people to learn about the role of data in our lives and the importance of regular backups — taken from the subtext of how backup is one of those monotonous tasks that few of us take seriously. The day is expected to rope in digital outfits and storage providers to spread the message and introduce new products.

Esmail Jadun, the organiser and founder of World Backup Day, told Gulf News about the provenance.

In an email interview, he said: “The idea of World Backup Day started out as a discussion on reddit last year. This discussion about raising awareness for backups happened to occur a week before April 1st (April Fools Day) and the juxtaposition was sweet! It fit perfectly.

“I created the website along with a fellow redditor and after a week of furious designing and development, World Backup Day was celebrated on March 31st. This year, we went bigger. Most definitely, World Backup Day will become much bigger in the coming years.

“We are living increasingly digital live and the rate that data being generated is exponentially growing every year. People need to be aware of the importance and security of their data files.”

So let’s face it, losing data can be frustrating, and in serious cases, destructive regardless of whether that data is to do with key projects, business contacts, financial documents, family albums or music collections.

Daniel Mauerhofer, head of Public Relations, EMEA and India, Western Digital, told Gulf News that we can’t afford to ignore the huge amounts of data that we create especially because we live an increasingly digitised world.

“According to the global provider of market intelligence IDC [International Data Corporation], we created over 1.8 zettabytes [computer storage unit] of data in 2011. That’s almost 57 billion iPads or 210 billion movies worth. Think about all the personal photos and videos, financial documents, and music and video collection that you’d lose if your data isn’t backed up.”

He explained that business data is the most valuable asset of any company.

“Losing your data is a business reality. If you do not back up your data properly, it could result in data loss that can have a detrimental impact on business including damage to your brand and loss of customer trust. This could happen due to accidental deletion or vile intent by someone with access to your network. It isn’t about ‘if’ you will lose your data, but ‘when’, as computer components can eventually fail.”

Referring to an EU5 (UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy) survey conducted recently by French research company, Maxmiles Panels, on behalf of Western Digital, he said, 62 per cent of respondents don’t do a regular backup and 64 per cent of respondents admitted they have lost data.

He said that the excuses for not backing up data ranged from forgetfulness, a reluctance to investing in backup solutions, and confidence in the fact that their data is safe on the PC/notebook.

world backup day

Key facts

What: World Backup Day (WBD)

Origin: Spurred by Reddit, a social news website in 2011

Significance: Highlight the importance of regular backups

More info at www.worldbackupday.com

What should you do to prevent data loss?

1. Use an external drive to back up files locally.

2. Use back-up software to automate your backup. An easy-to-use back-up program creates a back-up copy of your data reliably and automatically, and keeps logs and notifies you if problems occur.

3. Ensure you have at least two copies of your important files. Several backups on different devices and in different locations, reduce your risk of complete data loss.

4. Get your own personal cloud to store data from different computers. You can even access this content remotely from your Apple or Android device.

5. Test your backup plan to ensure that you have saved all your files.

Information courtesy:  Western Digital

By Carolina DSouza ?Staff Reporter