Backing up your computer hard drive may be a little like flossing your teeth: You know you should do it frequently yet don’t always do so. If you’re not backing up your computer at least once weekly, and ideally several times a week, you’re risking just the kind of painful, time-consuming and expensive headache that a bad tooth can give you.

The key is to have a backup process that’s easy to carry out, easy to remember, and effective in the event of a sudden hard drive failure, computer theft or other data catastrophe. Rather than repeat good advice that’s readily available elsewhere on the web, let me direct you to a good article on backup process options (scroll past the ads to see the beginning of the actual article) and one on the types of data to include in your backup.

I’ve been using IBackup for quite a while now and have found it easy and efficient (this endorsement, by the way, doesn’t benefit me in any way). IBackup is an online backup service, so my data is encrypted and stored remotely for a small monthly fee. I’ve found their software intuitive to set up and I schedule my backups to run automatically at times I’m not using my computer (usually late at night). Once I’ve set it up, the only thing I need to remember is to leave my computer on so that the backup runs as scheduled. I should mention that I have a broadband (DSL) Internet connection, which makes online backup a more feasible option.

I’ve also recently tested out Mozy, a new free online backup service that’s still in beta. They describe themselves this way: “Mozy is a secure, automatic remote backup service for any PC in any home or office. It’s simple to install and configure. No external hard drive, expensive subscription services, CD’s or DVD’s to burn. All you need is a broadband connection and you are ready to go!” I have to agree…the user interface is really straightforward and I was up and running in just a few minutes. I did find the backups slower than with my IBackup account, though not so slow I wouldn’t consider using Mozy for all my backup needs.

Keep in mind that if you choose to use a fee-for-service or free online backup service like one of the above, the first backup will likely take many hours, even with a broadband connection. That’s because all the files you have selected need to be backed up; after that, only files you change are backed up.

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MakingMediationYourDayJob.Lenski.com.