Now you know what can happen.  You also have an idea of what to do.  But what do you need to do the job?

1. A backup device.  Use a flash drive (careful–these are easy to lose) large enough to hold your data.
2. A backup program.  As previously stated, if you buy an external USB hard drive (at least 1T in size), it should have a backup program on it.  You will need to install that program on your computer.  If you don’t want to use the program they provide, there are any number of programs out there–both free and paid versions–that will do the job.
3. An imaging program.  This is the program that is capable of making a system image and then restoring it to a hard drive.  We use Acronis True Image in our business.
4. A cloud backup solution.  This is also a good idea if you have data you need to access even in the event of some type of disaster.  Online data is usually available from any device using your logon credentials.  We use Carbonite here.  We are also Carbonite resellers for those of you wishing to buy it through us.
5. Lacking a cloud backup, you need a place to store your data once it’s backed up.  If you have a business office, store the data at home.  If you have a home office, you could possibly store the data in a safe deposit box.  Possibly a fireproof safe.  Or maybe in a relative’s home.  Anywhere but next to your computer!

Need help with all of this?  Give us a call.