Holiday Computer Safety Tips

If you are going to be away from home or shutting down your business during the holidays, here are some tips to keep your important data safe from harm’s way.

Back Up

First and foremost, make sure you have everything important backed up.
A backup is just a copy, stored in a second location for safekeeping. Your backup can be on a nearby hard drive or stored online with a commercial backup company. For more information about backup options, talk to your trusted IT professional.

Check your Backup

It’s vital to check your backup before you leave to confirm you have all your important files protected.

Use Passwords

Take stock of all the portable devices you own that store data—everything from laptops and smartphones to tablets and music players—and make sure you have strong passwords installed and the latest antivirus and anti-spam software in place.
Software encryption is also highly recommended to protect any device holding valuable information.

Program Your UPS to Shut Down Your Computer

Any electrical event—a blackout, brownout or even a power surge—can kill data on an unattended computer system. Investing in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) device to protect your data from downtime or data loss itself is always good to do whether you are going on a trip or just to protect your data on a daily basis.
Most brands of UPS have accompanying software that will enable your UPS to shut down your computer smoothly so there isn’t any data loss. Click here for a great “how-to” article that will walk you through the set up. In this article, an APC model UPS is used as the example, but most brands will have similar software and similar steps in the process.

Shut Down Your Electronics

If your UPS is not configured to shut down your computer, or if you don’t have a UPS, then you should shut down your equipment before you leave. Be sure to do so correctly. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for turning off all computers and any accessories, like external hard drives.
For added safety, consider unplugging your devices from electrical outlets to protect them from any sudden changes in the flow of power while you are away.
When you return from holiday, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for restarting your system.

Have an Emergency Contact

If there are any problems, call DriveSavers immediately. Our data recovery advisors are available 24/7 at 800.440.1904.