The cost of backing up your data
We've been stressing the importance of keeping a personal backup of your data for years and it's advice that's worth repeating. A survey by storage company Backblaze found that 25% of people had never backed up their computer, and almost 40% admitted their backup was a year or more older. Similar research by backup firm Carbonite found almost 30% acknowledged their data was irreplaceable but didn't know when it was last backed up!
Despite the amusing side of this, it's no laughing matter if your data is destroyed, lost or stolen. Losing the only copy of family photos or important personal documents doesn't bear thinking about. Luckily, for a small sum you can easily back up all of this onto an external hard drive, and if you're really concerned a separate online backup is a good idea too.
Since last we covered this topic, Google Photos now offers free unlimited photo backup - an awesome freebie that's well worth looking into.
What is it? WD My Passport Ultra 1TB How much? $109 Pros: Most external hard drives fit into one of two categories: lighter, smaller devices powered by a USB or heavier units that have their own power cord and extra capacity. WD's My Passport Ultra represents the former, which typically cost more for their miniaturised convenience. Still, at around $100 for a terabyte, My Passport is both affordable and practical. Cons: Might be worth spending a bit extra to double the capacity. wdc.com
What is it? Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 4TB How much? $218 Pros: While WD's drive is sleek and small, Seagate's is noticeably bigger and heavier. It also sports its own dedicated power supply, which makes carrying it around a bit more of a task. But "desktop" drives like this are really meant for parking near a PC and using to back up large amounts of data. Cons: Yes, it's heftier but so is the capacity - and this model comes in sizes up to 8TB. seagate.com
What is it? Samsung Portable SSD T1 1TB How much? $486 Pros: While solid state drives have become increasingly common in notebooks and DIY PCs, they haven't made as much of an impact in external drives. But that's changing, with a few companies adopting the technology, which is fast and light, having none of the moving parts of a mechanical hard drive. Cons: Brilliant performance comes at a cost. But if speed (and lightness) are important, this is it. samsung.com.au
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