How Often Should You Use Backup Software?

Backup software can really save the day in the case of a system crash. But it can only do that if you use it correctly, and frequently enough. Creating a plan of action for how often you are going to backup your system is key to using this form of software to its biggest advantage. Below are some tips you can use to determine how frequently you should backup your hard drive.

- If you are using this software to backup the hard drive of a company, then you will want to backup more often. This also depends on the nature of your business. Do you store a lot of customer information? Have a lot of sales records? If this is so, a weekly backup of your entire hard drive might be your best option.

- If you use your computer from home and it is used for personal use only, then you might not need to backup your system as often. It all depends on how frequently you are adding new information to the hard drive. If you usually use your computer to surf the internet and email people, then you could probably get away with backing up every several months. If you take a lot of photos that get saved to your hard drive, you may want to increase the timing to once a month.

These are two examples of the different frequencies with which you can save your information using backup software. Set up a written log of when it is done so you can keep it consistent.

Using backup software is only as effective as how often you are using it. It won't do you any good if the backed up version of your hard drive is out of date by several months or more. Back it up as often as you feel comfortable doing so.