If you are a business owner who does any work on a computer, this story is for you. Like most business owners who rely on digital files, I've always embraced the importance of backing up my files. I used an online service so that in the rare event that something were to happen to my house, my files would be offsite and safe. But honestly, I sort of had the mentality that my computer would never do that to me, and losing all my files would never actually happen. Until it almost did. Seriously. I am sweating as I type this.
The Story Starts Here
A few iMacs ago, I was in the middle of working on a large book project—a chapter book with lots and lots of pages, to be exact. Not to mention, all the other client work in progress, and years and years of working design files I had been storing.
My iMac at the time starting acting very glitchy. My husband, being the tech expert that he is, did some research and found out that the online back up service I had been using was starting to become known for causing issues with Macs.
Because of the issues happening with my computer, we decided to remove that back up service and then install a new one. We found Backblaze which was developed by someone who had previously worked for Apple, and so of course it had a reputation for working well with Apple products.
After removing the old back up software installed on my computer, we started to transfer my files to Backblaze. There was a brief period of time when a good chunk of my files were very vulnerable. No, I did not have them physically backed up on an external hard drive (yet) and I was just winging it. Such a terrible idea as I look back on the scenario.
It took several days for all of my files to back up online. I have so many, many files. My business literally runs off of constantly making new artwork files for clients.
I Almost Lost Everything
This is the part of the story that makes my palms sweaty and my heart beat a little faster. Not more than 24 hours after completing the initial back up of my files with Backblaze, my computer went completely blank. It died a hard death, and there was no saving it. I took it to the local computer repair store that specializes in Macs, and there was nothing they could do.
Had it happened just hours prior to completing the back up process, I could have lost everything. In many businesses, that's right up there with being a worst nightmare scenario.
The Hero of This Story
So to say I absolutely freaking love Backblaze is an understatement.
I was able to very easily access the files I needed online and download them to my MacBook that I was temporarily working off of until my new iMac arrived.
In order to do a complete recovery of my files, I simply had to request that they send me an external hard drive which they very quickly shipped to me and I was able to restore all of my files on my shiny new iMac. It really couldn't have turned out better in a situation that was extremely stressful. Backblaze is also automatically backing up my files on a regular basis. And since I now know that I am, in fact, not invincible to losing files or having my computer die is not impossible, I now also have an external drive to double back up my files.
While I do not guarantee file storage for my clients, I do my best to keep them safely stored so that I can resurrect old projects and serve my clients as best as possible without having to start from scratch or rebuild old projects.
Find Something—Anything
If you are currently playing roulette with your file storage, I highly recommend looking into what options might be a good fit for you. You simply just do not know if or when technology might fail you.
If you have questions about Backblaze, I will be more than happy to tell you more about my experience using it as my main resource to back up my files.
If you find Backblaze is the right fit for you, below is a link to purchase and start backing up your files! * https://www.backblaze.com/cloud-backup.html#af9xuh
*This is an affiliate link which gives me a kick back when you purchase—I truly could care less about the kickback, but I feel so passionate about this topic that I wanted to promote it in any way that I could!
There is a free trial period, and after that it is just $7 a month for peace of mind. Money so well spent. Cheers to back ups and safe files!