World Backup Day is here, and it's more relevant than ever in our work-from-anywhere world. Every year on March 31st, people around the globe pledge to back up their data so they don't accidentally lose their files in the event their phone, laptop, or tablet is lost or suffers a failure.
Backing up your data isn't just a smart way to protect your important documents — it can make your digital life easier, too. Here's how a regular data backup and proactive maintenance can improve the lifespan of your device, and even protect your identity.
How our digital lives — and cybercrime — expanded during the pandemic
When the pandemic arrived, people all over the world suddenly began working from home to comply with public health guidelines. They turned to digital devices for work, school, and socializing, relying on technology to conduct more aspects of their daily lives than ever before. While they were busy acclimating to the new normal, people didn't always have the time to button up their cybersecurity or make sure they had a good data backup in place. Although people were able to stay safer during the pandemic by moving more of their lives online, they also became more vulnerable to an uptick in cybercrime.
Closely watching the transition to working from home, cybercriminals seized the opportunity to steal valuable data and login credentials. According to ZDNet, the FBI announced that cybercrime reports quadrupled during the pandemic. Although some of the most worrisome attacks involved nation-state actors targeting the U.S. healthcare sector and research institutions, cybercriminals also attempted to compromise the personal and work accounts of everyday people.
According to Trend Micro's 2020 Annual Cybersecurity Report, researchers reported more than 16 million COVID-19-related threats consisting of malicious emails, spam, and malware. Throughout 2020, scammers sent out phishing emails claiming to have crucial information about the coronavirus or promising exclusive access to stimulus funds. These phishing emails often included a link to a page designed to steal personal and financial information, including login credentials and passwords.
These cyber threats will likely continue in our work-from-anywhere future, even well after the pandemic ends. For this reason, World Backup Day is a great occasion to protect your digital life with a good data backup, and a chance to take stock of your personal password hygiene.
How good password hygiene goes hand-in-hand with a good data backup
Although they might not seem connected at first glance, good password hygiene and smart backup practices go hand-in-hand. A strong password protects your work and personal accounts from attackers. By regularly keeping all of your passwords up to date, you can make it harder for cybercriminals to steal your files or personal information in the event of a data breach. A password manager makes these steps effortless by storing all of your current passwords in a secure vault and generating new strong passwords for you to use when it's time to update your old passwords.
Having a good data backup, meanwhile, means that you won't lose your files if your phone or laptop is lost or stolen. When we move forward into our work-from-anywhere future in which we're all flexibly working at coffee shops and airport lounges, it will be even more essential to have this layer of protection. And by performing regular maintenance on your devices, like keeping up with software updates, you will increase their lifespan and better protect them from potential attacks.
There are several ways to back up your files. You can use external hard drives or USB devices if you prefer to keep your backup offline and physically close by. Many people appreciate the convenience of online data backup services that automatically back up their files to the cloud. Backing up your data in multiple places is even better because it gives you redundancy in case one backup method fails.
If you decide to use a cloud backup, then you'll benefit even more from good password hygiene. By setting a strong password on the account you use to run your cloud backups and regularly updating it, you can make it harder for a cybercriminal to access your files and sensitive personal information.
Celebrate World Backup Day with a data backup and good password hygiene
As working from home became the new normal during the pandemic, people began relying on technology for their work and personal lives more than ever. Cybercriminals took advantage of this opportunity, increasing their phishing attacks in an attempt to steal valuable data and login credentials. These threats will likely be with us well after the pandemic ends. By taking a moment to put a data backup in place and adopt good password hygiene, you will be better able to safely enjoy all the opportunities that await in you in the work-from-anywhere future. 
