Summary
Cloud storage is amazingly convenient.
We can all agree on that.
So why bother backing up stuff the old-fashioned way?
Corbin Davenport/How-to Geek
Well, heres why.
Its an almost$200 billion a yearindustry.
The popularity of the personal cloud is no surprise.
It really makes your digital life easier.
That convenience comes at a price though (besides your hard-earned cash).
Cloud services canlose your data.
They get hacked andfiles get leaked.
Sometimes they malfunction and give anyone who has your emailaccess to your sensitive data.
No password required.Outageshappen all the time.
Theres only a single point of failure.
Thats because you have no control over your data once its been handed over.
That also creates a privacy concern.
However, your deleted filesmight just come backone day.
Once youve uploaded something to the cloud, it might never be erased.
Then there is the small matter of the eye-watering subscription prices.
Google Drive charges more than $100 a year for the 2TB plan.
iCloud is even more expensive at $130 a year.
you’re free to buy a 2TB SSD for less (more on that later.)
If you cancel the plan or stop paying, theyll just wipe your storage.
Local Backups Can Be More Convenient Than You Think
Now consider the humble local backups.
With a local backup, you have absolute control over your data.
Youll have the peace of mind that no one can snoop around on your data.
it’s possible for you to migrate files from one backup solution to another with ease.
It all sounds awesome.
But you might be thinking that local backups are too much of a hassle.
You have to manually move files back and forth.
Pretty soon it just becomes another chore that you have to deal with.
They have built-in layers of redundancy to keep your data safe.
Its a one-time cost, and you’re able to share the NAS storage with your whole family.
All you need is an external hard drive and software like FreeFileSync, urBackup, or SyncThing.
These apps make local backups a breeze.
Theyre designed to mirror folders.
So if you have a folder called Work on your desktop.
So if the Work folder has 10 items, itll copy them all to the drive.
When you add another item, itll only copy that eleventh file.
you’re free to also set the apps to sync and back up automatically.
To start,download the FreeFileSync installerfrom its official website.
Launch FreeFileSync from the desktop or the search box.
Youll see two columns, both labeled Drag & Drop.
In one column, pick the browse button to find the target folder or directory.
In the other, find the external drive and select it.
Confirm by pressing Start.
Wait for the sync to finish and press Close.
Whenever you make changes to the folder being backed up, you could sync again to update the backup.
you’ve got the option to also automate this whole process.
Itll automatically monitor the source folder for any recent changes and mirror them on the external drive.
First, it’s crucial that you create a batch file.
it’s possible for you to create one after youve successfully performed your first manual backup.
grab the Save as Batch Job button and then Save As.
you could click Run Minimized if you want quiet backups.
Now look for the RealTime Sync tool in the search box or on your desktop and launch it.
Under Folder to watch for changes click Browse and pick the source folder.
Then pick the green plus button and press Browse to find the external drive.
My backup drive is F:.
Now click File in the top right corner and select Open.
The idle timer delays the file syncing if there is heavy activity in the source folder.
Remember that the idle timer you set will delay the updates.
If you want instant sync, set it to zero.
You don’t have to rely solely on the cloud to keep your important files safe.
Local backups have come a long way, and they can be a breeze to use.
