The rise in data breaches and ransomware attacks has caused individuals to think more seriously about data security over the last few years. Viruses can encrypt confidential data and can be a serious pain for anyone unlucky enough to get targeted. A recent study was done to monitor malicious attacks and found that of the users studies an average of 2,244 cyber-attacks occurred against them every day. We are constantly under attack by an army of invisible bots. Many cyber attacks threaten major organisations’ confidential data as well as individuals on the web. Data protection is thus becoming critical with our increased reliance on technology and digital data. One way to protect your data is by choosing a good proxy provider like Smartproxy. They help secure your data by masking your connections IP address and restricting users from viewing your data.
In addition to cyber threats, your hard drive is a ticking time bomb when it comes to data safety, both in the case of hard drive failure or theft. Maintaining regular backups is the best thing that one can do to keep your important data secure – or better yet, keep your important data permanently backed up and installed in the cloud. If you don’t, your hard drive could easily pack in at any moment and leave you scrambling for your precious data.
The following is a list of major reasons why backups are so important for laptop and PC owners around the globe.
1. Preventive steps are no guarantee of data safety – A proactive cybersecurity approach should be considered for any laptop or PC user and every organisation, whether large or small. This includes actively updated firewalls with optimal settings, network security solutions, and regularly updating all software, including Windows. Regular hard drive maintenance should also be performed to detect hard drive issues before they become a mission critical failure. Unfortunately, even with these steps there is no guarantee that you won’t be the victim of a data hack or a hard drive failure.
2. Cyber attacks are increasingly evolving – Cyber attacks are becoming more prevalent and smarter. Recently Korean Hackers have been implicated in the theft of billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies along with many targeted hacks on corporations with political motives. If large corporations don’t stand a chance, it’s sure that end-users are constantly at high risk of cyber attacks even with solid protection. New threats may show up that aren’t picked up my anti-virus algorithms fast enough.
3. Hard drive failure rates are notoriously high – A 2007 study by Google concluded that hard drive failure rates for a three year old hard drive were as high as 8.6%, a staggering number. Worst case, you may have to seek the help of someone who provides hard drive recovery services, but this is a last resort. Backing up your date should be a priority for every PC user not using a cloud based machine such as a Chromebook.
4. Accidental data loss can easily happen due to user errors – If you have ever been in the position when are doing maintenance on your PC and you accidentally delete important data, or, worse yet, accidentally reformat an entire hard drive, then you are not alone. Data loss from user errors is actually the leading cause of data loss for businesses globally, and the same dangers rings true for anyone with a laptop or PC.
5. Your laptop or PC could get stolen – Possibly the worst case scenario on our list, if your laptop or PC gets stolen and is unlikely to be recovered, you may have the least likely chance of getting important data back. This is particularly true for anyone living in high crime areas across the globe. If you don’t have a backup of important data keep an extra eye on your lapop when out and about – you never know when you might the target of a crime of opportunity.
The bottom line is if you want to make your life easy, then backup of all your data immediately in a safe place. You never know what might happen in the crazy world of cyber crime and hardware anomalies. A tremendous amount of time and effort could be wasted after the fact if you get lazy and don’t take the necessary precautions. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best!
