Making backups of your files is an integral part of data management. Regular backups may protect against:

• hardware failure/faults
• software failure/faults
• virus infection/hacking
• power failure
• human error

Developing a backup procedure heavily depends upon the nature of the data, the perceived value of the data, and the perceived level of risk.  Though a backup procedure should be customized, there are a few general procedures that may be made in regards to backing up and securing your data. 

Backup your data

• Make multiple copies of your data (original + backup copy + external copy)
• Store the copies in various locations (geographically distant location and locally)
• Store the copies on various media devices (tape backups, external hard-drives, online cloud storage)