Whether you are a freelance designer, developer or writer, you probably create files and lots of them. Documents, graphics, videos, databases take up space and need a certain amount of storage to house them.
How would you feel if all your files suddenly vanished? Computer crash? Spill coffee on your laptop? Anything can happen and usually does.
This is why you need a backup plan.
If you don’t have some sort of backup solution, get one. From friends to other freelancers, I have heard many wish they ‘d been smarter with their important digital files.
I can’t count the number of times I have heard someone say, “I wish I would have kept that email”. Remember to backup and backup often!
What benefits do you get from having a backup solution?
- Peace of Mind – I don’t want to hope my files are salvageable when my computer dumps or something spills on it. I want to have the peace of mind that comes with having my files already backed up. If something did happen, I don’t have to sweat it. Just reinstall and restore my files and I am done!
- A Way to Revert Back – How many times have you accidently overwrote a file or didn’t keep a source file? Been there, done that. A backup will give you that point to revert back to.
- Ideas for the Future – The document you archived off of your hard drive could hold ideas for future projects. Going back through those files could lead to new and interesting pieces for your portfolio.
- Always Able to Communicate – One of the most important tools for communication is email. Your email could hold things like proposals, contacts, contracts and more. When you keep backups of your emails, you keep important information and become available to communicate with others even if you have a loss of data.
There are different solutions for backing up your files – portable hard drives, CDs or DVDs, ftp sites, online backup providers and more. Online and off-site backups are good ideas in case of natural or unforeseen disasters such as fire, flood, theft or storms; you never know what could happen.
Protecting your files also requires you to store and protect important physical files as well. A fire safe would be a great investment in protecting physical papers.
No matter what it is, backup your files at least once a week.
Having a backup plan for your files helps you and your business. You don’t want to have a HUGE client slip through your fingers because you lost your files and don’t have a backup.
What do you use to protect your files and important data?
Photo credit: BruceTurner
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