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What is Data Backup?

Data backup involves the saving of your data in two or more locations, so that if something happens to your computer, you still have your data reserved in backup. This allows you to keep your data even if you lose your computer. While you might think that the chances of having a major loss of data on your computer or even having your entire computer crash are very small, disasters happen and it is always best to prepare for the worst, especially when it comes to something as irreplaceable as your files.

Data Backup Options

Data backup can take many forms. After all, any medium on which you save your files apart from your primary computer is considered backup. You might even want to backup your data in more than one location, just in case. If you depend highly upon your computer and upon the files contained therein, you can never be too careful when it comes to protecting your files from disaster.

The most basic method of backing up your data is on a simple floppy disk. However, this method is essentially obsolete, as it is difficult to even by a computer which includes a floppy disk drive these days. With CD-Rs and now DVD-Rs being cheaper than ever, it is possible to store far more data on a single disk than was ever possible with a floppy disk.

You can also backup your files online. There are many companies, such as www.xdrive.com that provide online storage drives which will allow you to store your data without the need for disks or drives or anything of the sort. This can be very beneficial as you know that you will always be able to obtain your data, without having to worry about having the proper CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, or anything of this sort.

What is the Best Data Backup Option for Me?

In order to determine what is the best backup option for you, you will need to know a few things about what you expect from your data backup. For example, what do you already have access to? If you have a CD burner in your computer, for example, then burning CD-Rs with your data can be an excellent and cheap backup method, as it is possible to get CD-Rs for less than $1.00 or even cheaper if you buy in bulk.

If you do not have any such storage devices on your computer, you might want to consider online backup. All you need is an internet connection and you can begin saving all the files you want online. However, if you are working with a dial-up connection, this can be a slow process if you are saving large files, more than simple documents and the like. You might consider purchasing a CD or DVD burner, these cost about 100 dollars or so and can be an excellent investment for your home office.

Or, if the files you want to save are small and you have a floppy drive installed onto your computer, you might just want to continue using backup floppy disks to save your data. It is up to you which is the best backup option to use.

Walter Stevens is a contributor at Free-backup.info -- the home of the popular Amazon S3 based tool for online remote backup -- Back2zip. This article can be found at http://free-backup.info/data-backup-to-prepare-for-disaster.html