The first line of protection for your computer is getting software to protect it from viruses, worms, and other malicious software that could ruin or steal information or even trash your whole computer. While many people spend a lot of money on software programs, there are great virus scanners, and other protective software online for free. And even if you do spend some money, it’s worth protecting your computer and everything on it.

Just because you have protective software, doesn’t mean it’s going to block every threat that might attack your computer. Even if you have protective programs, you still need to be aware of new ways hackers are using to get into your computer and use common sense. There are all kinds of web pages that will alert you to the newest cons and viruses going around and how to avoid them.

One of the most important things you can do to keep from losing data is to back it up. Here are some common ways to back up your data so you still have it in case it’s accidentally lost:

*CD. Burning Data onto CDs is a quick and easy way to back it up. However, it can be time-consuming and a CD can easily be scratched and damaged and only lasts so much time.

*Flash Drives. These are similar to CDs. You can easily put information from your computer onto a flash drive and then detach them to store for safety or transfer them to another computer. The difference is that a flash drive is not written once and then you’re done. While most CD drives can add files, they can’t delete them or change the files. Flash drives can be erased and rewritten just like any other drive on your computer.

*External hard drives. This is a great way to back up large amounts of data. An external hard drive is generally just like the memory in your computer, but it can be detached and put in another space. Unlike flash drives, you can get hard drives with very large amounts of space.

Most people shy away from external hard drives because of the price, but if you compare the amount of data they store, they are well worth the money.

*Data Back-up Services. The problem with drives that attach to your computer and then detach for storage is that they can often be damaged when your computer is. A virus on your computer can easily transfer to another drive without your knowledge. And if your computer is destroyed in a flood or fire, there’s a good chance your external drive will be too.

The good news is, there are all kinds of services now that will back up your data for you. They generally cost a monthly or yearly rate for a certain amount of space, so the cost will vary with what kind of business you have.

Remember that backing up your data once only does so much good. If you don’t back up regularly, you’re still in danger of having a major loss.

Step One. Decide what type of backup is right for you.

There are many types of backups from the old fashioned copy your files on a disk to a more advanced backup storage device. Depending on the volume of information you have to backup either process might be right for you. If you’re simply backing up financial information and documents then something as small as a key drive might work as a backup device. USB flash drives come in a variety of capacities and 2-4 gigabytes are common, easy to find, and appropriate for basic backups. You can also use a simple disk and copy your files.

However, if you have larger files, photos, music and software to backup then a larger device and backup system is necessary. An external hard drive is a great option and there are many online storage services available.

Step Two. What to backup. Depending on your needs you can backup only the information you can’t live without or you can back everything up. When considering what to keep safe consider:

* Pictures
* Music
* Contracts
* Accounting and financial information
* Calendar
* Contacts
* Documents
* Software

Step Three. Backup schedule. There are myriad choices here. Some suggestions include:

A daily backup – important for business owners who are constantly updating and adding files.

Weekly backup – this is typically the minimum experts recommend. In this case you could set up your system to automatically backup to an external drive every Friday night. Backups can take a long time so it’s important to schedule them when you’re not too busy.

Combination backup – this is a common practice whereby a person backs up their vital information like contracts, financial info and the like on a weekly basis and then performs a monthly full backup where everything from small txt files to major software programs are backed up.

The important thing to remember when creating a schedule is to balance your needs with your time. A full backup every night is time consuming – automating the process to occur when you’re sleeping makes it much more convenient.

Step Four. Backing up the backup? Just because you hit ‘backup’ doesn’t mean the process is working. Test your backup occasionally. Make sure the system is working and the information is there. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve been backing up your information only to find that it’s not there when you need it.

Whether you back up your computer manually with a USB drive, backup with an online service provider, or automatically with backup software and an external hard drive the important thing is to back up consistently! Protect your information, test your backup, and maintain a backup schedule. You’ll be glad you did.