Here’s a conversation I have more than I’d like to.
I arrive at someone’s home on the East End. Their computer stopped working. I diagnose it — the hard drive has failed. I ask if they have a backup.
“Yes, I back up to an external drive.”
“When did you last back up?”
Pause. “…About two years ago.”
Or: “It’s plugged into my computer all the time.”
Or: “I thought it backed up automatically.”
A backup that’s two years old is not a backup. A backup drive that’s always connected to your computer gets encrypted right alongside your files when ransomware hits. And a backup that you set up once and never checked is often not actually running.
Here’s the right way to do it.
Why Backups Matter More Than You Think
Hard drives fail. It’s not a question of if — it’s when. The average hard drive lasts 3-5 years. Solid-state drives (SSDs) last longer but they also fail — suddenly and without warning, unlike mechanical drives which often give warning signs.
Beyond hardware failure, consider:
– Ransomware encrypts all your files
– Accidental deletion — more common than you’d think
– Theft or loss of a laptop
– Water damage, fire, or power surge
– A corrupted system update that takes files with it
If your photos, financial documents, client files, or anything else important lives on one device with no backup, you are one bad day away from losing it permanently.
The 3-2-1 Rule — The Gold Standard
Cybersecurity professionals and IT teams everywhere follow this principle:
– 3 copies of your data
– On 2 different types of storage media
– With 1 copy offsite or in the cloud
In practice for a typical home or small business user this means:
1. Your original files on your computer
2. A local backup on an external hard drive
3. A cloud backup that automatically syncs
This way a single point of failure — a stolen laptop, a house fire, a ransomware attack — never destroys everything.
Option 1: Cloud Backup (Most Important)
If you do nothing else, do this. Cloud backup automatically copies your files to remote servers — meaning even if your computer, your house, and your external drive all disappear, your data is safe.
The best options:
Backblaze Personal Backup — $99/year
The gold standard for simple cloud backup. Install it, forget it, it runs continuously in the background backing up everything on your computer. Unlimited storage. If your computer dies you can restore everything or they’ll mail you a hard drive with all your data. Highly recommended.
iCloud (Mac users) — $2.99-$9.99/month
If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, iCloud Drive with Desktop and Documents syncing enabled keeps your most important files automatically backed up. Not a full system backup but covers the files most people care about most.
Microsoft OneDrive (Windows users)
Built into Windows 10 and 11. Turn on the “Back up my folders” option and it automatically backs up your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to the cloud. Free up to 5GB, Microsoft 365 subscribers get 1TB.
Important cloud backup caveat: Cloud sync services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive are NOT the same as cloud backup. If you delete or encrypt a file locally, the change syncs to the cloud too. You need a service with versioning — the ability to go back to a previous version of a file. Backblaze, Microsoft 365, and iCloud all support versioning.
Option 2: External Hard Drive Backup
A local external drive backup is faster to restore from than the cloud and doesn’t require an internet connection. But it has two critical requirements:
It cannot be connected to your computer all the time.
An external drive that’s always plugged in will be encrypted by ransomware along with everything else. Connect it for backups, then disconnect it and store it somewhere else.
You need to actually run the backup regularly.
Manual backups that depend on you remembering to do them will eventually fail. Set up automated backups — both Windows and Mac have built-in backup tools that handle this automatically.
Windows — File History:
Settings → Update & Security → Backup → Add a drive → select your external drive → turn on “Automatically back up my files.” Set it to back up every hour or every few hours. Windows keeps multiple versions so you can restore files from specific points in time.
Mac — Time Machine:
System Preferences → Time Machine → Select Backup Disk → choose your external drive. Time Machine backs up automatically every hour and keeps hourly, daily, and weekly snapshots. It’s excellent.
Good external drives for backup:
– WD My Passport (portable, 2TB ~$70)
– Seagate Backup Plus (desktop, 4TB ~$90)
– WD My Cloud Home (network attached — backs up multiple computers)
What Actually Needs to Be Backed Up?
A full system backup is ideal but if storage is a concern, prioritize:
– Documents folder
– Desktop
– Downloads folder (you’d be surprised what important things end up here)
– Photos and videos — these are irreplaceable
– Email archives if you use a desktop email client
– QuickBooks or other financial data files
– Any work project folders
What you don’t need to back up:
– Your operating system (Windows/macOS) — you can reinstall this
– Installed programs — you can reinstall these
– Temporary files and cache
How to Verify Your Backup Is Actually Working
This is the step almost everyone skips and it’s critically important. Set a reminder in your calendar to do this every 3 months:
1. Open your backup software and confirm it ran recently — check the last backup date
2. Browse through the backed-up files and confirm they look correct
3. Try restoring a test file — actually restore a document to a different location and confirm it opens properly
A backup you’ve never tested is an assumption, not a guarantee.
For Businesses: You Need More
Home backup solutions are fine for personal use but businesses have additional needs:
– Server backup — not just individual computers
– Database backup — QuickBooks, point of sale systems, CRM data
– Email backup — Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace data is not automatically backed up by the providers
– Documented recovery procedures — knowing what to do when something goes wrong
– Recovery time objectives — how quickly do you need to be back online?
We set up and manage business backup solutions for companies across the East End of Long Island. A proper backup and disaster recovery plan is one of the most important IT investments a small business can make.
Not Sure If You’re Protected?
Give us a call. We’ll take a look at what you currently have, tell you honestly whether it’s adequate, and set up a proper backup system if it isn’t. It usually takes less than an hour.
TechCrazies serves the entire East End — Manorville to Montauk, Riverhead to Orient Point. We come to you.
📞 (631) 446-2220
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