Reader alert! This is no pre-April Fool’s Day item. In fact, the organizers of World Backup Day have been careful to schedule their event for March 31, because as we all know from the daily headlines about online security problems, keeping information safe and accessible in case of a problem is serious business of late. This is true not just for organizations but individuals as well. 

Not that we need convincing but a simple graphic (see below) from illustrates why.

In recognition of the importance of backing things up and looking at user attitudes about their/our responsibilities to be careful, Woburn, Massachusetts-based data protection company Acronis has announced the results of a survey conducted among 350+ consumers. It provides insights into how respondents value and protect the information located on their devices.  It is, to say the least, revealing. 

As Acronis notes, “The survey findings, which are also highlighted in an infographic, demonstrate the importance of backup and digital responsibility in an environment where every part of consumers' lives is now taking a digital form, including financial and health documents, photos, work files, and more.”  

According to the research:

• Over 75 percent of consumers store their data digitally
• More than 50 percent state that their personal data are more valuable than their actual devices
• Consumers would be nearly three times more upset if they lost their photos than if they lost their phone, computer or tablet

This is where it gets interesting.  While we all would feel lost without our digital information, respondents reflect that consumers put little effort into ensuring the safety of their data.

• More than 50 percent of consumers store their data only on their computer – or not at all.
• Of those using a data backup system, only one third are protecting their entire computer system, the rest are simply protecting some files.

The context for this, and why it is disturbing and why World Backup Day is important to not just celebrate but to do something about, stems from the finding that almost half of the respondents value their data at over $1,000.  In juxtaposition, only five percent of consumers surveyed are willing to actually spend that amount to recover their data once it is lost. In fact, 94 percent of respondents said they are willing to spend up to $100 to preventively backup their data. In short, less than the cost of a removable drive or an online backup service for a year. 

"The majority of consumers do not realize the importance of backing up their digital memories, including everything from precious photos to financial information, until a catastrophe occurs," said Serguei Beloussov, CEO, Acronis. "What consumers should understand is that there are easy and inexpensive ways to safeguard the digital data that they're most afraid of losing."

It should be noted that Acronis knows more than a little bit about this.  The company  leverages its AnyData Engine and image technology to protect the data of over 5 million consumers and 300,000 businesses in over 130 countries. 

World Backup Day should be either a reminder or call to action that when it comes to data protection everyone has responsibilities, including us. The value we put on the information lodged in our devices is clear.  In fact, most people would tell you their life is in them, and they would be lost if anything happened.  Yet, as the survey points out, many people just wait until bad things happen rather than take inexpensive steps to ensure even if bad things happen all is not lost.  

Celebrate World Backup Day by first making sure you have backup, and then just to be safe, update it to make sure it is working for you.