This is a cautionary tale.

Last week, my husband bumped into a graphic designer we both know. He told my husband how, two nights earlier, a burglar had stolen his iMac from his ground floor studio while he was asleep upstairs.

“I can get a replacement computer easily and my insurance will pay, but I’ve lost all my work and all my client’s artwork.”

Because he hadn’t backed anything up.

Backing up your work is a habit you need to get into. Here are eight ways you can back up your data.

1. Memory sticks (USB flash drives)

Copy your files on a weekly basis onto memory sticks (or more often) and keep them somewhere safe.

2. Copy your files onto CDs/DVDs

The only problem with this method is it’s quite time consuming. They also don’t store huge amounts of data, so aren’t ideal for big photo or music collections. Do be sure to store them offsite in case of fire.

Welcome to IT expert and guest blogger, Alex Harris, who writes on cloud computing.

With the advent of cloud computing, it’s now possible as a freelancer or small business to have all the benefits of large business IT infrastructure, without having to buy and implement expensive IT equipment. The term ‘cloud’ is simply a metaphor for the Internet.

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand. Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software.