December 21, 2006

 

It only takes a second for a computer to crash. But in its final moments, a lifetime of memories could follow your hard drive to the digital graveyard.

Every holiday season shoppers pull digital cameras, MP3 players and digital camcorders from store shelves, but computer analysts and manufactures worry most people don’t do enough to protect the information those gadgets create. That means pictures of a baby’s first Christmas might vanish for good if your computer is damaged or stolen. Fortunately, technology changes have made data backup increasingly easy.

A 2006 study by Harris Interactive finds that nearly one-third of those polled said the digital content stored on their personal computer was “priceless.” But 46 percent of them never took steps to protect the content.

So why the disconnect?

“Go back a handful of years, and a few things were different,” said Jon van Bronkhorst, executive director of product line management at Seagate Technology, a disc drive manufacturer. “We didn’t have the emotional content we have on the computer that we do today.” Van Bronkhorst said innovations in the past five years have created faster Internet connections and cheaper storage devices, making data backup almost automatic.

“You can actually set up an external device, and if you do nothing it will back up your data,” he said. “It’s something my grandmother can understand. It’s something my daughter can do.”

Henry Baltazar, a storage analyst for the 451 Group, said the typical user needs about 10 gigabytes of backup storage space for photos and music. Those who download movies or home videos should consider more.

In some cases, online backup systems are free and provide extra security in case of theft, fire or other natural disasters. Personal files are available wherever there’s an Internet connection, but the initial upload can take days, depending on how much data is stored, Baltazar said.

Baltazar recommends Mozy and Carbonite — both online options that cost less than $5 a month. Mozy users can store up to 2 gigabytes —

enough storage for about 6,000 photos or 580 songs — for free.

Josh Coates, CEO and founder of Berkeley Data Systems Inc., the company that runs Mozy, said data stored on the site is encrypted with a key that only the customer can access. If hackers do get into the site, all they see is a bunch of jumbled data, Coates said.

External systems also have their merits, said Baltazar, who suggested devices from Seagate or Iomega. “External hard drives have gotten inexpensive over the last few years, and they’re better for people with lots of data,” he said. “If you have a 200 gigabyte drive with a standard DSL or cable modem, it will take you a couple days to upload that to the Internet.”

A portable external hard drive can plug into a computer’s USB port. A 160-GB Seagate model backs up data automatically, holds more than 123,000 photos, 2,650 hours of music, or 11 hours of video. It costs about $200.

 

 

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