As a consultant, you’ll live and die by your documents. What more reason do you need to back up your data? If you don’t back up your data, you’re putting yourself — and your clients — at risk. Isn’t the risk of losing business enoug reason to back up your data? Well, here are even more reasons:
7 reasons to back up your data
- Hard drives die. You may think your data is safe on your desktop or laptop hardrive, but you’re wrong. Sooner or later, hard drives fail. Sometimes it happens bit by bit, meaning you lose files one by one. Other times, you lose everthing at once.
- Viruses do bad things. Lots of viruses delete files on infected computers. Protect yourself — back up data and use antivirus software.
- Power fluctuation. A power surge might fry your hard drive. A power outage might occur just as you’re working on a big document you forgot to save. Be safe — back up early and often.
- Your business depends on contacts. If you keep your business contacts’ email, phone number, and mailing addresses on your computer, you’re going to be hooped if you lose that data. How long would it take to compile all that information again?
- Most consultants need to work on documents. Research, writing, to-do lists, presentations, spreadsheets, forwarded emails — where would your consulting business be if you lost your important documents?
- Your calendar may not exist in paper form. If you rely on a CRM or even Microsoft Outlook to manage your daily appointments, what will you do if your computer crashes?
- Your computer may be stolen or damaged. No computer, no data. Enough said.
Microsoft has a great write up on what you should back up.
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"7 reasons to back up your data" from Become a Consultant Blog at ConsultantJournal.com.