Backup Software and the Tale of Too Bad Tim

Having good backup software in place before a problem happens is a necessity in the modern world. This is, unfortunately, a lesson that too many people do not learn until it's too late. In the Information Age, this is a common problem that is actually easy to avoid. Whether you are here because you have just lost data or you are being proactive about data loss, we want to share with you the story of "Too Bad Tim," who ran into a lot of problems with lost data.

While his story may not be true and may be exaggerated quite a bit for effect (and laughs), we think there is a lot to learn from what he did and did not do before disaster befell him. When it comes to protecting files and making sure they are always available when you need them the most, you are going to find out why having a backup plan is such good idea.

The Tale of Too Bad Tim

Once upon a time, in a home office far, far away (in Detroit), a man named Tim lost his job. For some people this would be a bad thing, but Tim was excited. He finally had an excuse to start working for himself. Thanks to the Internet, he would be able to take his skillset and offer it to clients all over the world.

Those first few months were hectic to stay the least. With no regular paycheck coming in, Tim had to learn to do with less. In the beginning, he made many decisions to go without software he didn't think he would ever need. One of the things he skimped on early in his venture was backup software.

Buying a good backup solution and looking into online backup options was actually on his todo list, but he kept putting it off, not thinking it was too important. To his credit, he was quite busy. Work was going great. In fact, there was an investor who was very interested in giving him money so that he could quickly expand his business.

Tim worked on a big presentation for two weeks straight. At the end he was exhausted, but it was done and at just the right time - a mere matter of hours before his big meeting with multiple angel investors from all over the country. Tim was going over the presentation to print out the final copy when the phone rang, the doorbell sounded, and the dog started barking at the same time.

In the confusion, Tim was reading the file when the computer suddenly turned blue with a cryptic error message. He turned the computer back on and waited for his file to load back up so he could print. When he tried to reopen the file, it wouldn't open, saying it was corrupted! Tim instantly freaked out, knowing it was the only copy of the file.

With only hours before the big meeting, he had to throw something together at the last minute because he had no back-ups and couldn't recover the file. The presentation was not as good as the original to say the least. His friend who had invited all the investors was a bit disappointed. Before leaving the meeting, he had shook his head and muttered, "Too Bad Tim..."

Tim never forgot that moment. He went on to work hard and his business was successful, but he always wondered how much further along he would be if he had a backup of his big presentation when he needed it the most. He would forever hear his friend calling him Too Bad Tim in the back of his mind, affecting his performance for the rest of his life.

Better Backup Software Options

If you want to avoid becoming embroiled in Tim's problems, you want to make sure you have a good software solution at your fingertips if you ever happen to accidentally delete an important file, folder or even have a hard drive crash on you. With a good backup system in place, a hard drive crash will not be a stressful situation. Here is a look at the main options you have to put a backup system in place.

• Physical Backups - Whether it is written to a DVD or a special tape or other large storage device, this is the way most people have backed up their files since the beginning of the computer age. While media has gotten smaller and able to hold more data, storing the media can still be a hassle and cause problems if the backup media is harmed in some way. This is why people are moving to another method for backing up files and data.
• Online Backups - These days, there is another option that a lot of people are using to make sure all their files are backed up and safe. Storing files securely for people on the Internet makes backing up easy to do (it runs in the background), while giving people access to their backed up files wherever they are in the world as long as they have an Internet connection.

Whichever method you choose, having a system, plan and software in place to help you backup your files is important. The story of Too Bad Tim is all too common in the Information Age. With more and more people depending on having their data and files when they need them, it is more important than ever before to have a backup system implemented.

Whether you are a small business owner or just want to make sure all your family photos and videos are safe, finding good backup software for your computer is highly recommended. The good news is that there are many inexpensive online backup solutions that are available to safely and easily store files for users.