| Admit it. Your computer just died one morning. No | | | | and anger set in. We then realize that with the next |
| notice. No error codes. No forewarning. Just gone. | | | | computer, we will find a way to back up our data no |
| Along with all your data, your business proposals, | | | | matter what. |
| your contacts, and your calendar. Heck, you weren't | | | | Even having an external hard drive can help, but you |
| even sure what you had to do that afternoon | | | | must force yourself to back up your data regularly. |
| because it was on your computer! As panic begins to | | | | And how many of us really do that? Sure, the hard |
| set in you vaguely remember something on your | | | | drive is sitting right there in front of us. It's not like |
| computer called "automatic backup" and just as you | | | | we forget about it because it's in another room or |
| are able to take a deep breath you realize one more | | | | something. We just don't want to take the time to |
| thing - your computer only backed up files onto itself. | | | | run the back up. |
| Even your backups were gone. You can't help but | | | | So, the next time your computer has a "fatal error", |
| wonder why you did not use an automated data | | | | you once again realize you haven't backed up |
| backup service. | | | | anything for maybe two weeks, and once again, you |
| Unfortunately, for most of us, we tend to ignore | | | | have lost the presentation you worked on for the |
| safety precautions until we have been violated, one | | | | past ten days. |
| way or another. We don't install home security | | | | There are many off site, online automatic backup |
| systems until we have been robbed. We don't learn | | | | services that run by themselves. You do nothing but |
| self defense until we have been mugged. We don't | | | | sign up for the service, pay your annual fee, and |
| buy car alarms until our car has been stolen. And we | | | | forget about it. If anything happens to your |
| don't use backup services until we have lost | | | | computer or even a file - it's been backed up! For the |
| everything on our computer. Forever. | | | | price of a decent lunch you can buy yourself some |
| Usually it's not a matter of cost. It's simply a matter | | | | data security and peace of mind. |
| of procrastination mixed with a belief in our own | | | | Some of these services will give you a free trial |
| infallibility. "Never happened before; won't happen | | | | without a credit card. Check them out! You'll be |
| now." Right. And when it finally does, remorse, panic | | | | happy you did. |