What is the best method for data storage?

If you're storing all of your data in one place — one device, one drive — you're carrying more risk than most people realise. Data loss isn't only caused by a device visibly "breaking": accidental deletion, a bad software update, a power surge, theft, or ransomware all account for it too, and by the time someone asks us about recovering a corrupted drive, it's often already too late.

The 3-2-1 principle

A well-established rule of thumb: keep at least three copies of anything important, across at least two different types of storage, with at least one copy somewhere else entirely — one locally, one external, one in the cloud. If one fails, the others don't.

The options, honestly

Local storage — fast and convenient, but the first thing you lose if the device fails.

External storage (an external drive, USB or NAS) — affordable and portable, but easy to lose, damage, or simply forget to update. Worth keeping in a different location to your main device, so a single fire or flood can't take out both copies at once.

Cloud storage — accessible from anywhere and safe from physical damage, but not immune to outages, account lockouts or a breach at the provider's end. "It's in the cloud" is not the same as "it's safe".

Keeping it working

A backup strategy that's never tested is a backup strategy you're hoping works. Back up at least weekly, automate it where you can, keep one copy offline, use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication on cloud accounts, and actually open a backed-up file occasionally rather than assuming it's fine.

None of this changes what happens at the other end of a device's life: when hardware is finally retired, it still needs erasing properly, backup copies included. Book a collection when that day comes.