With so many of our pictures, videos and documents now stored in digital format, the prospect of precious data disappearing forever in the misstep of a HDD read/write head or infection from a nasty virus is even more catastrophic. About a week ago it was proposed on social networking site Reddit that a World Back-up Day would be a good idea to remind everyone of the importance of backing up irreplaceable data. The date of March 31st was chosen and, although that didn't leave much time to spread the word, the idea quickly gained traction.
While the importance of backing up data is pretty much universally recognized, the fact remains that the majority of us still fail to carry out what is usually a simple, albeit boring, task. Everyone has heard horror stories and even those that have become the victim of a failed hard drive can get complacent and find themselves backing up less and less frequently.
While backing up once a year would be an improvement for many people, those behind WBD say the aim of the day is to not simply remind people to back up on that day, but to spread awareness and get those that have never backed up to start. So for those of you reading this where the date has already ticked over to April 1st, waiting until next year to get your digital lives in order would be a mistake.
For those unfamiliar with how to go about it, the WBD site provides instructions on the various methods of backing up.
Unsurprisingly, the day has also attracted support from a number of companies who are offering special deals for their online backup services on the WBD site.