Backing up your mobile phone. TLDR; do it!

It is relatively easy to find a few guides online on how to back up your phone. Most of these guides are for regular users while some are for advanced users and can guide you to back up your Android, iPhone, iOS, or any phone you have. But then again, you can find anything online if you are looking for it. 

Our goal is not to explain the HOW but rather the WHY. 

We deal with data daily and all the complexity it brings to our daily lives. We see people take pictures, videos of important memories. We see people take notes and store important files on their devices. Unfortunately, what we also see is people losing their data and memories. Whether your phone is lost, stolen, broken, or less dramatically, if you decide to switch from one platform to another, you realize how important and challenging backup really is.
  
Even in the workplace, some people are using their mobile phones more than their laptops or desktop computers. This, in turn, puts the burden of mobile backup on the company's side as well as the employee's side. Still, it is surprising to see that even with the age of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), some companies still don't have a backup plan that includes those devices. 
 
Online services, usually provided within the OS, are lifesavers; but it's essential to practice some good housekeeping to make sure your data is safe when you are backing up online:

• Online backup using iCloud, for example, does not include file versioning, which means that if by chance a critical file is corrupted from your device, you will lose it.

• Online backup works when you are connected and when the service is up. As we learn each day, no online service, no matter how big, is guaranteed to stay online.

• Most Online backup plans have a free tier but become more expensive as your data grows. Ensure you keep your device decluttered to keep your costs down and your backup fast. (Check our blog about decluttering your mobile phones) 

Offline backup is usually a manual task that requires you to keep your mobile tethered to your computer; that is why most of you skip this! However, we have seen those backups save the skin of several clients. Since you can miss or ignore the notification that your online backup storage is full, that your internet connection is too slow to complete the backup, or that your credit card expired and your payment was declined, here is what you should do: 

• Create a reminder to back up your phone at least once a month. Once a week is better. 

• Make sure you store those backups on at least two devices for safekeeping. (Read our blog about backing up your data) 

• Regularly clean your device of old files to make sure your backup process is fast and the data you back up is useful.

Free solutions to back up your data, especially from your phone, are in abundance. This means you have no reason to ignore this task.

You could even consult your closest geek to set up an automated process for you or your closest IT consultant to set up a comprehensive backup solution for your company.