Are Your Backups Working?

Don’t assume automatic systems are guaranteed.Andy Scheer 2014

by Andy Scheer

This past week I’ve been straightening my office. Not just around my desk, but also where I keep most of my work: my computers.

I’ve deleted unwanted programs, sorted files into project folders, and – most important – backed up key documents onto high-capacity flash drives and an external hard drive. I thought I was covered.

Recently I made big changes to my website. Many hours worth. I’d hate to lose them. So I opened the administrator’s toolbar, selected “online backup,” and clicked all the settings to ensure daily backups.

Or so I thought.

This morning, having made another big update, I visited the “online backup” section again. Just in case.

Good thing I did. For multiple consecutive days, the automatic backups I’ve been counting on had failed.

[cryout-pullquote align=”left|center|right” textalign=”left|center|right” width=”33%”]If you’ve been in the writing business awhile, you know the horror stories of people who’ve lost key documents. [/cryout-pullquote]

Fortunately, I discovered the problem before a crash – and made some backups manually.

If you’ve been in the writing business awhile, you know the horror stories of people who’ve lost key documents. Now they tell others to install a system for automatic backups.

Good idea. Just check if those backups work.

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About Andy Scheer

With more than 30 years in publishing, Andy Scheer has provided freelance editorial services since 2010. He has edited fiction and nonfiction for publishers including Moody, WinePress, and BelieversPress, as well as for clients including Dirk Cussler, McNair Wilson, DiAnn Mills, Heather Day Gilbert, and Sammy Tippit.

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