Sync is not a backup
A folder that syncs to the cloud mirrors whatever happens to it. Delete a file on the laptop and it is deleted everywhere, and if ransomware scrambles your documents the scrambled versions sync just as faithfully. A real backup keeps versions, so that you can reach back to last Tuesday, and it sits apart from your working files. Syncing is a convenience. It counts as one of your three copies, and it should never be the only one.
A setup that runs itself
For a computer, the practical version of three-two-one costs little and takes an afternoon.
- Buy an external drive at least twice the size of the data you have, and point your computer's built-in backup tool at it.
- Let that tool run automatically, hourly or daily, so that it keeps versions without any effort from you.
- Turn on encryption for the backup drive when the tool offers it, because a backup is a complete copy of your life in a box anyone can carry off.
- Subscribe to an online backup service, which generally costs a few dollars a month, for the off-site copy.
- Expect the first upload to take days or even weeks on a home connection, and leave it to finish.
For a phone, turn on the built-in cloud backup and then check what it covers. Photos, message history and the data inside individual apps are frequently separate switches, and the free storage tier is usually too small to hold them all.
What kills backups
Drives wear out. A hard drive in steady use tends to last three to five years, so replace the backup drive at around five whether or not it has complained. A drive that stays plugged in can be encrypted by the same ransomware that hits the computer, which is the argument for the off-site copy and for unplugging a second drive between sessions. The most common failure, though, is quieter: the backup stopped eight months ago when the drive filled up, and nobody read the notice.
The restore test
Every three months, pick three files at random, including one old photo, and restore them to a different folder. Open them. Once a year, make sure you know where the recovery key or password for an encrypted backup is kept, because an encrypted backup without its key is an expensive paperweight.
Tip Make a fresh backup and confirm it finished before any major system upgrade, any repair visit and any long trip. Those three occasions account for a remarkable share of lost data.
