Endangered Data Backups

You know that you should back up your data – especially files of irreplaceable items such as family photos – regularly. But while storing backups on an external hard drive or burning them to blank CDs or DVDs and keeping them in the closet will enable you to restore files easily if your hard drive crashes or corrupts, that approach also creates a portable and thus easily lost or stolen archive of your sensitive data.

Encrypt your backup data: Be sure to use a backup utility that allows you to protect your data with encryption, or at least a password, to prevent unauthorized access. If you want to take things a step farther, you can put your backup files on an encrypted external USB drive such as the Seagate Maxtor Black-Armor, a PCWorld Best Buy. You can also find external drives with biometric fingerprint scanners, such as the Apricorn Aegis Bio or the LaCie d2 Safe.

Use an online backup service: If you prefer, you can use an online storage service such as Microsoft Windows Live SkyDrive (skydrive.live.com), which provides 25GB of storage space for free and offers a measure of security by requiring a username and password for access. Unfortunately, copying 25GB of data and keeping it updated via Sky-Drive can be a time-consuming and cumbersome process. For a small fee, though, you can use a service such as Mozy (mozy.com), which includes tools to automate the process and to ensure that your data is backed up regularly.