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World Backup Day is celebrated every year on March 31st. This day is meant to educate people on the importance of backing up their files and encourage them to practice this regularly. Here at Arkware, we couldn’t agree more! We hate to see our clients lose valuable data due to unforeseen disasters or database corruption. 

Let’s look at some key statistics to be aware of and the importance of backing up your computers. 

Why Should You Backup? 

Losing your files is more common than you think. Most of us assume that our data is always being backed up and stored somewhere, but this isn’t necessarily true. A simple oversight could destroy all of your important data! Consider the following: 

  • 30% of people have never backed up 
  • 1 in 10 computers are infected with viruses every month
  • 29% of disasters are caused by accident 
  • 31% of PC users have lost all their files due to events beyond their control 
  • 93% of companies that lost their data for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year 

How and When Should You Backup Your Database? 

For the purpose of this article, we’re going to talk about backing up your database. But we do encourage you to backup all of your files, including personal photos and videos. 

There are two main ways to backup your files: to an external hard drive or somewhere on the internet. Because databases are large files that need frequent backups, you’ll likely find it best to use the cloud. 

A backup copy of your full database is the safest and fastest way to recover from corruption or other issues. How often you backup your database depends on several factors, though we generally recommend backing up every 24 hours and during a time when no one is on the database. 

Here are the times when you should absolutely backup your database: 

  • When there are design changes 
  • When there are large amounts of data changes
  • When there is more than one user updating the data 
  • When an action query is performed to delete records or make changes 

What is the Purpose of Frequent Backups? 

Database backups will help your business stay proactive. The data you have collected over the years helps your business run efficiently – and you don’t want it to be compromised. Unfortunately, database corruption is very real and happens all the time. This is why nightly backups should be an integral part of your prevention and recovery strategy. 

To learn more about how and when to backup your database, contact Arkware for a consultation. We have personalized solutions for all of our clients!