Clear Path step · Home · Memories kept in two places
Make one copy that ransomware and sync mistakes can't reach
Why it matters: Anything constantly connected can be encrypted by ransomware or wiped by a sync error. A disconnected or versioned copy lets you go back to last month.
Best after: Keep a second copy outside your main account
Do it
- If you use a drive, plug it in for the backup, then unplug it and store it away from the computer.
- If you use a backup service, turn on version history and check how far back it goes.
- Keep one copy outside the house: a drive at a relative's or a cloud backup.
- Encrypt any drive that leaves the house.
Check it worked: At least one copy of your photos is either on a drive you unplug after each backup or in a backup service that keeps older versions you can restore.
Simply put
It's like keeping a set of photo albums at a relative's house. Ransomware, a sync mistake or a fire at home can't touch an unplugged drive kept elsewhere, and a backup with older versions lets you go back to last month.
In detail
Versioning is the household equivalent of the 'immutable backup' businesses use. The offsite copy covers what no software can: a house fire or a burglary that takes the computer and the drive together.
Points toward the Long View: a copy that waits safely offline, whatever happens to the connected ones.