Guide · 5 min read
Why you need backups, and how to set them up
Hard drives fail, laptops get stolen and ransomware locks files. Learn what a proper backup looks like and how to set one up for your home or office.
Most people only think about backups on the morning a laptop will not start or a folder of invoices has vanished. By then the only question left is whether a copy exists somewhere else. A backup is simply a second, separate copy of the files you cannot afford to lose, kept somewhere a single accident cannot reach both.
This guide explains what can go wrong, the difference between syncing and backing up, and a straightforward way to protect a home computer or a small office. None of it needs special equipment, and most of it can be done in an afternoon with a little care and a spare drive.
From $195 + GST + $30 call-out ($254.25 incl. GST)
Quick checklist
- List the files and systems you could not replace
- Turn on File History or Time Machine with an external drive
- Add a cloud backup that keeps older and deleted versions
- Keep one copy disconnected or offsite
- Check that backup alerts reach someone who reads them
- Restore a test file and confirm it opens
- Record where the backups live and how to restore them
What actually destroys files
Hardware failure is the obvious one. Hard drives wear out, solid state drives can stop responding without warning, and a laptop knocked off a desk can take its storage with it. Theft and fire remove the computer altogether. Then there are the quieter causes: someone deletes a shared folder by mistake, a spreadsheet is saved over with the wrong version, or ransomware encrypts every document it can reach and demands payment for the key. In every case, the files come back only if a copy exists somewhere the problem did not touch.
Syncing is not the same as backing up
OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox keep files in step across devices, which is useful, but they copy mistakes just as faithfully as good work. Delete a folder on the laptop and the cloud copy disappears too. If ransomware scrambles the files on your computer, the scrambled versions sync up and replace the originals. Their recycle bin and version history help, but retention is limited. A true backup keeps older versions, separately, so you can go back to how things were before the damage.
The 3-2-1 rule in plain terms
A simple rule used across the IT industry is three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with one copy kept away from the building. For a household that might be the files on the computer, a copy on an external drive and a copy in a cloud backup service. For an office it might be the server or shared drive, a local backup device and an offsite or cloud copy. The point is that no single event, whether a burst pipe, a burglary or a virus, can wipe out every copy at once.
- Copy one: the working files on your computer or server
- Copy two: a local backup on an external drive or NAS
- Copy three: an offsite or cloud backup with version history
- At least one copy disconnected or protected from ransomware
Setting up backups on a home computer
On Windows, File History will copy your Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders to an external drive on a schedule, and keeps older versions. On a Mac, Time Machine does the same job and is turned on from System Settings once a drive is plugged in. Both are free and reliable when set up properly. Pair one of them with a cloud backup service that keeps deleted and older versions, and you have covered the main risks. Unplug the external drive between backups if you can, so malware cannot reach it.
Backups for a small business
A business needs to think beyond one computer. Shared drives, accounting files, email and any line-of-business software all need covering, and someone has to know the backups are running. Microsoft 365 holds your mail and OneDrive files, but its own retention is designed for service continuity rather than long-term recovery, so many businesses add a separate Microsoft 365 backup. For a server or NAS, a local backup device plus an encrypted offsite copy is a sensible pattern.
Test a restore before you need one
A backup that has never been restored is a hope rather than a plan. Software can report success while quietly skipping a folder, a drive can fill up and stop accepting new copies, and passwords for encrypted backups get forgotten. Pick a file or folder at random, restore it to a different location and open it. For a business, try restoring a whole mailbox or a full folder of shared files now and then. If anything about the process is confusing, it is far better to find out on a calm afternoon than in a crisis.
When to call a technician
Book a technician if you run a shared drive, server or Microsoft 365 for staff, if your backups report errors you cannot explain, or if you are not sure what is actually being copied. We can work out what needs protecting, set up local and offsite backups with version history, configure failure alerts, run a test restore with you watching and leave a written record of how it all works.
From $195 + GST + $30 call-out ($254.25 incl. GST)
Related services
Backup Setup & Disaster RecoveryBackups that follow the 3-2-1 rule and are restore-tested.Data RecoveryGetting files back from failed, deleted or damaged drives.Microsoft 365 Setup & MigrationMicrosoft 365 tenants, mailboxes, SharePoint and security set up properly.Common questions
Is OneDrive or iCloud enough as a backup?
On its own, usually not. Sync services copy deletions and ransomware damage along with your good files. Their version history helps, but it is limited. Treat them as convenient storage and add a separate backup that keeps older versions somewhere the sync cannot overwrite.
How often should backups run?
It depends on how much work you could bear to redo. For an office creating documents and invoices all day, backups should run automatically and frequently. For a home computer used lightly, a regular scheduled backup to an external drive plus continuous cloud backup is usually plenty.
What kind of external drive should I buy?
Any reputable external drive with a good amount more space than the files you are protecting will work. Keep it just for backups rather than using it to carry files around, and label it so nobody mistakes it for spare storage and wipes it.
Do I need to back up Microsoft 365?
Microsoft keeps your data available, but its retention is limited and deleted items eventually purge for good. If losing mail or shared files would hurt the business, a dedicated Microsoft 365 backup gives you longer history and an independent copy you control.
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