Item 3

Secure Your Devices

monitor, cd and disketteBacking Up Your Devices

No matter what precautions you may take, there is always the possibility that theft, physical damage or invasive malware could result in the loss of the contents of your computer or device. Establishing a regular practice of backing it up is therefore prudent insurance against the headache of such a loss.

No matter what you store your information on or OS it uses, the same three basic steps apply:

  1. Identify what you want to back up. Before you start, it's a good idea to do a little clean-up. Delete non-essential files or archive them externally. Then organize your remaining files in one easy-to-find location.
  2. Decide where you want to store your backed up files: encrypted drive; external drive, device or other storage medium; central or departmental storage options. Note: Visit the Departmental Files Services documentation for details on one possible location.
  3. Establish a regular backup schedule. Windows users can automate tasks with Task Scheduler (Windows 7 | Vista | XP) and Mac users schedule backups automatically using Backup.

The following are suggested methods of backing up your files, provided by Apple, Windows and mobile device vendors.

Mac OSX & Time Machine

Windows

Mobile Devices