The Importance of Backing Up
I think at some point in this digital age (i.e. the last 15 years) everyone has
experienced the loss of a file or some digital content, whether important or trivial. If you were like me – it was IMPORTANT – and losing it sucked!
Now-a-days we have features like ‘auto-save’ that help out significantly but without the proper backup system in place anyone is at risk for epic loss.
There are many options for performing a backup. The three primary backup options are: a local backup on your hard-drive, backup on an external hard-drive and an online backup solution.
I personally use all three. But the one that I’m most excited about it and want to discuss here is the online backup solution “Dropbox”.
The beauty of Dropbox is that it basically operates as a mirrored online backup solution to whichever files you choose to include in your Dropbox (i.e. your Dropbox file folder) on your local computer.
The setup and installation is a breeze. The operation, for me, is flawless… and it’s FREE! That’s right! For up to 2GB you can have a mirrored backup solution that’s totally free. You have the option of increasing the backup capacity of your dropbox to 50GB for $9.99/mo or 100GB for $19.99/mo.
Here’s how I use the 2GB Dropbox. First, the files on my computer are organized into a current vs archive type structure and my media (video & music) files are organized completely separately. Only my current project files are included in my Dropbox (My archive type files and media files are backed up on an external drive). Therefore, any project that I am currently working on is remotely backed up whenever I save a file in my Dropbox (and I click ‘save’ very very often!). What’s even more impressive is that I can download the dropbox program on any computer, ipad, iphone, droid (and probably most smartphones) and have access to most, if not all, the files in my Dropbox at any time! This is especially useful for me because I’m very mobile and work interchangeably between my desktop and ipad, as discussed in my previous ipad blog.
If you’re looking for a rock solid backup solution, thinking about upgrading, or simply want a more sophisticated elegant solution you should definitely explore the Dropbox. Go to http://dropbox.com for more information.
By Leon Clinton