We rely so much on our smart devices these days, and not only for staying connected with the world. Many of us also rely on these easily accessible, pocketable devices for storing and transferring all kinds of important data. Even though we have so much critical information stored in our phones, you’d be surprised how few people take the time to backup their devices on a regular basis. Our phones may be incredibly smart, but they’re not immune to damage or theft. In one swift moment, your phone and sensitive data could be in the hands of someone else.
So, if you haven’t performed a backup in a while, here’s why you should backup your data regularly and safeguard your info.
What Happens if You Don’t Back Up Your Phone?
There are several negative implications of not regularly backing up your smart device. These include the following risks that are best avoided at all costs:
You’re Not Prepared for a Disaster or Emergency
None of us want to think about experiencing a fire, tornado, or a tense situation at home that results in others being put at risk or needing to change our way of life. The thing is, life will happen, and it often throws curveballs our way. By not having your phone backed up, should an event occur that results in the destruction, data corruption, or misplacement of your device, you’re not going to be able to easily retrieve your photos, videos, important files, or anything else stored on it. This can make it difficult to bounce back from already-difficult circumstances.
You May Not be Able to Retrieve Your Emergency Contact Numbers
Speaking of emergencies, what about crucial contact details for friends, loved ones, employers, support groups, or otherwise? If you don’t back up this information – and keep it updated as emails and phone numbers change over time – you run the risk of not being able to remember the exact details (after all, we retain a ton of information as it is, so there’s always a chance that the odd phone number or email address won’t be remembered accurately). Put your mind at ease instead, as this could mean otherwise that you may not be able to reach someone important during an emergency or urgent situation.
You Aren’t Protected Against Lossage from Data Corruption
Modern smartphones utilize flash-based storage, and it’s typically not user-replaceable. It used to be that many Android devices allowed for the installation of third-party Micro SD cards to expand onboard storage, but most devices are so slim and compact internally that this feature has largely disappeared on most models along with the beloved headphone jack!
What are we getting at? Well, storage can fail. It’s hardware. This can happen on the most budget-friendly and even the most premium of devices, though it is rarer nowadays. Regardless, having a proper data backup that is updated regularly – ideally every few days – can keep your data safe even if your internal storage goes kaput and winds up getting corrupted.
The Simplest Mistake May Expose You to Piracy and Hacking
And as humans, we’re prone to making mistakes pretty often. The reality is that all it takes is one false move and your system could be damaged or infected. Today, hackers are getting increasingly advanced with their tactics. Mistaking a virus-laden email for an important one is something that can easily be done and happens every single day. By taking a few moments every so often to back up your data, you can be prepared for these types of common threats and recover your files without hassle.
Your Device is an Easy Target for Theft
Mobile phones have become a lifeline in today’s modern world. Without them, we’d feel lost and disconnected. The truth is if you value what’s on your phone, it makes sense to take some steps to safeguard it. If your phone does ever get stolen, you can have some peace of mind knowing that your data is accessible elsewhere because you’ve backed it up (after you change all your passwords).
You Could Lose Your Cherished Photos and Files
Losing work-related materials can be a big deal, but generally, it’s something that can be done again. However, your cherished or sentimental files like travel photos or family pics that you’ve taken throughout the years are things that you can’t always get back once they’re lost.
It’s essential to safeguard the things that we value most in life. And with so much stored away in our smartphones these days, it just makes sense to back up your data regularly so that you can have those duplicate copies on hand in case anything does happen to it. At Mobile Klinik, we can take care of all of your smartphone-related needs, including data backups.
How Do You Back Up Your Phone?
There are a few ways to backup your smartphone or tablet, but not all are made equal. The first is to plug your device into a computer and back up the data locally on its own internal storage. However, there are problems with this. First, there’s the aforementioned risk of data corruption and if that device gets hacked, data-corrupted or destroyed, you’ll be just as out of luck. The same applies to storing a backup on a piece of media like a USB key or external hard drive.
To be frank, cloud-based automated backups are the best and safest possible solution, even though it might sound strange that this is the case for migrating your data online. The thing is, cloud governance – rules that govern the operation and regulation of cloud backup services – are designed to protect you, your privacy, and most certainly your data. Companies like Apple, Google, Samsung, Dropbox, and many others take security and encryption extremely seriously, and you can easily restore from a backup this way by connecting a replacement or newly repaired device to your registered account online.
What Happens When You Back Up Your Data?
When you back up data on your phone, an exact ‘clone’ of the device and all the information stored on it is housed securely in a digital format. As noted earlier, this can be done on physical media, but there is the inherent risk of this going bad, especially if you still use mechanical external hard drives (avoid these at all costs since they wear out more easily and do not last). Cloud migrations of data are different, however; the ‘clone’ is effectively stored online in a highly secured, encrypted format so only you can access it through a backup service provider with the appropriate credentials. Apple’s iCloud solution is by far one of the most airtight and secure options out there, and you can’t go wrong with Samsung’s Knox solution, either.
How Often Should You Back Up Your Phone?
It’s unlikely that you’ll drastically change the data on your device daily, but if you do happen to tweak a lot of files on your smartphone regularly, a daily backup might not be a bad idea. It’s better to be safe than sorry, especially if you’re working on presentations or documents for work or school on your phone! This can very easily be done by setting an automatic backup on either iOS or Android. Alternatively, if you prefer to perform manual backups so your device isn’t frequently hopping online, which can help to preserve battery when on the go and running low on charge, at least manually back up your data every few days or so. Once a week is the bare minimum as a precaution, but we advise doing it more frequently than this.
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