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Everyone Needs a Good Backup: Securing Your Files and Data

JC Crumpton • April 28, 2021

Continuing Adventures of a Technology Investigator

This is Randy Lawson, your intrepid and tenacious technology investigator, coming back at you this month with some more case studies. Nearly everyone I know has lost their keys at one time or another. We all know how frustrating that can be. Seriously, think about it. It's a cold rainy day, and your arms are loaded down with groceries, but when you reach into your pocket carefully to get your keys to unlock the house door, you can't find them. When you wake up in the morning, you're running a little late, you're rushing out the door, you get to the car…no keys. Now, you're going to be even later. Those are just some of the frustrations that can occur because you lost your keys.

Now, imagine that you're at work. You have a big project that you're trying to get finished. You have been typing and typing away. Everything looks good. You slide the cursor over to the save icon, and with all the confidence in the world, click that left button on the mouse to secure hours’ worth of work. But then all of a sudden, the screen fizzes out, and everything goes black. 

Let's go back to our first two examples. What if when you got back to the house with your arms loaded down with groceries and couldn't find your keys but someone was there to open the door and let you in? Frustration averted. Or when you are rushing to work you left the house without your keys but you had a backup key in your wallet? Frustration averted. 

Personally, I know I have had that experience of losing important documents and data and case histories that I had stored on the computer. When it happened, I just wanted to wring my hands and pull my hair out. Some of those times, I almost broke down and wept. In my experiences as a technology investigator over the years, I have realized that I do not have to experience those frustrations and those torments if I just back everything up. 

If you have any questions about backing up your computer files, data, and important pictures or videos, the crew here at the Technology Center can help find backup a service that fits your needs. Matt, Brett, Amy, and Justin know their stuff. So, instead of worrying about the possibility of losing important material on your computer, get with the crew and they can help you find a backup option that fits your budget needs. 

When I first started looking into backing up my data, I had some learning to do. So, what I did was called Matt at the Technology Center. I explained to him what I was using, and what I was looking for. He pointed me in the direction of something that was simple and easy to use. He suggested that I use a service called Carbonite. 

Being the science fiction fan that I am, my first thought was of a famous movie where someone was captured and frozen in carbonite. That turned out not to be the case in this issue. Carbonite is a backup service. For under $75 a year I am able to have automatic computer backups that store my data, including videos and pictures on the cloud. I am able to get remote file access and have external hard drive backup. In addition to the backup services that they provide, they also have antivirus services through Webroot.

So, if you have a big project that you cannot afford to lose, then my suggestion is to contact Matt and crew at the Technology Center so they can help you find the service or programs that fit your needs and your budget. Whether it is family photos or extensive inventory data for your small business, the Technology Center is able to fill your backup needs. 

The Lonely Writer – CASE #2021-04

My name is Randy Lawson, technology investigator, and when it comes to computers and other gadgets and associated wizardry, I sometimes get lost among all the wires and bytes and lines of data. That is why I work with Matt, Brent, Amy, and Justin of Joplin's Technology Center. And these are my adventures.


It started out to be a wonderful day. We were loading the car for a picnic lunch and we're going to head out to the lake for a pleasant afternoon. As my hand reached out to grab the door handle, my phone rang. As you can imagine, all the kids groaned.


We had an emergency. One of my customers was a writer. He pens some exciting adventure stories, and how he does that when he's hidden away in his study for months on end, I have no idea. Somehow, he manages and does a pretty good job. But when I heard his voice on the other end of the line, I could tell something was seriously wrong.


He had just spent the last three months writing his latest novel, keeping the text stored on a jump drive. Because of my discussions with Matt about backing up data, I understood that though a jump drive may be a good source for short term storage, it can be corrupted, causing you to lose everything.


After contacting the Technology Center, my writer friend was able to get the service that he needed in order to consistently and reliably backup his files. Going forward, my writer friend, uses Carbonite to secure his files and prevent the frustration and anxiety-inducing situation of having his work disappear into the ether. 

Held for Ransom – CASE #2021-05

My name is Randy Lawson, technology investigator, and when it comes to computers and other gadgets and associated wizardry, I sometimes get lost among all the wires and bytes and lines of data. That is why I work with Matt, Brent, Amy, and Justin of Joplin's Technology Center and these are my adventures.


It can be a scary world out there. There are people who seek easy money by damaging your business and your reputation. This is another important aspect of why it is crucial that you maintain computer backups for your small business.


Recently, I was contacted by a local business that had been hacked by malicious code and had all their networked computers frozen up and held for ransom. Ransomware can be capable of locking up a system and making it impossible to retrieve files and data because they have been encrypted, and the criminal (there is no other term for it) demands a ransom that will enable the files and other data to be retrieved.


This can be prevented, or actually circumvented, by backing up your data on a regular basis, on a schedule. I have seen this happen, and it is not a good thing. Matt and crew at Joplin's Technology Center can help your small business use the backup service that best fits your business’s needs.


What these services can do is protect files on your server and external storage devices on multiple computers. By backing up the files and data, it enables easy file recovery for computers and systems locked out by ransomware without actually paying the ransom. These services monitor online backups and have data retention requirements to fit your needs.


In my experience with losing data, I have learned that there are some very important things not to do. One of the biggest mistakes I or any small business, or even someone at home with just one computer, can make is to not do a backup. Another blunder that you could commit is to not run the backup regularly and with ample frequency. When you're ready to get more information on the backup services that can provide your computer data and files with the safety that they deserve, reach out to Matt and crew at Joplin's Technology Center, and they will get you all set up. 

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