Church Admin Corner

When was the last time you backed up your digital files? If it was more than a few days ago, or you cannot remember, it is time to make a plan for secure digital storage.

Here are some ways to make backups easier:

• External Hard Drive: Back up files weekly or monthly to an external hard drive. Ideally, this drive would be housed offsite, but it is better to have it onsite and doing the backups than not having one.
• Google Drive, Dropbox or another cloud storage option: Even better than an external drive is a cloud-based drive. You can set up desktop folders and save directly to both Google Drive and Dropbox. Online storage can come with excellent security and multiple servers so your data remains accessible. Both of these options are reasonably priced and well worth the cost.

One parish admin had a situation where their work computer crashed, and the full hard drive was lost. Fortunately, however, they were back to work in minutes as everything was saved in Dropbox. When dealing with digital records, it is imperative to complete regular backups. So, do not delay; back up today (and every day). RJ Chambers, Office Administrator, churched@edmonton.anglican.ca