Know where your data is.

Some thoughts / advice for computer users to avoid grief from the loss of something important to you.

Know where your data is. Be ready for recovery. Your preparation could mean the difference between an inconvenience and a disaster.

Don't just let applications save your data without either understanding where it is going, or taking control and dictating where it goes. You should know the path of folders that lead to your files. Know the difference between local storage (your device) network storage (office server) and cloud storage (someone else's computers on the Internet).

Know which network/cloud services you're using & what for. E.g. cloud storage & e-mail are not the same thing.

Know the conveniences you rely on & know how to live without them or have a plan to get them back. E.g. desktop shortcuts, browser bookmarks, saved passwords, remembered contacts. Some browsers offer the ability to sync the data you give them onto their cloud so you can recall it from another computer or after a re-build.

Know your backups. Including if different data sets are backed up by different methods to different locations. Know your backup cycles, retention periods & what is restorable, when & by whom. Understand the reason for multiple backups & backup rotation.

Cloud services & physical devices both fail regardless of the sales pitch or warranty. It's your data so your responsibility.

A PC operating system is more complicated & more likely to get messed up than your user data files are, so backup the whole PC, not just your user data files. Keep certificates, installation media, e-mail receipts etc. for all software which is not freely available.

Your passwords are the keys to your data & services. Take good care of them. Use a password database. Ideally, your password database should also allow you to store all related data used by an authentication verification process.

Whether you replaced your PC or your cloud service provider is just making routine changes, at some point you WILL need to endure the verification process. So keep a safe record of when you signed up, what e-mail address you signed up with, your postcode, mobile phone number & any other information you told them.

A separate 'recovery' e-mail address can be a successful last resort when trying to regain control of an online account. Keep your account on the online service updated with your new details if they ever change.

Before cloud services, nobody in IT support wanted to tell someone "Hard luck, you should have kept a backup". These days we can extend that to include "You should have kept a password database too."