Backing up your data isn't something you may think about on a daily basis. It is probably not something the average person will do, but it is important if you have a lot of data stored on your computer. Data that can't be replaced.

When discussing data backups, or anything really to do with computers, the question of cost comes to mind. While backing up your files is not expensive, it helps to understand what type of investment you are willing to make. The amount you spend depends on how you would like to backup your data.

In this hub I will go over several options and talk about the financial impact of each option. It is also important to also look at how important your data is to you and the impact it would have if it was lost.

Cost of Various Backup Options

The first option we have is that of CD or DVD discs. These are usually very affordable as you can buy over a hundred for a few bucks at one time. There are several issues, however, that you need to keep in mind. First, unless you buy the rewriteable discs, you may need to continuously burn one after another to ensure all your data is backed up. Second, optical discs are also known to be unreliable at times, meaning that you may lose your data that is stored on them. With this type of media, I suggest you don't go cheap but spend a few bucks and buy high-quality media such as discs made by Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, Sony or Mitsui. Discs made by these companies are known for their reliability and quality.

The next option is using external hard drives. This is by far the best option for backing up data, both from a convenience and disk space stand point. While they are several hundred dollars, they now come in sizes that are several terabytes, which is more than enough for the average home-user. They are easy to use (just plug them in), and they are rather quick and reliable. The only issue is that they aren't as easy to take offsite as other media, such as optical discs or flash drives. For a few hundred bucks, however, it is well worth the investment in one of these.

Similar to an external hard drive, is a Network Attach Storage (NAS) device. These are small boxes that contain multiple hard drives that are connected to your home network through a router. They include their own operating system, and you can connect to them through your network. You can replace the hard drives in them so you can increase the storage capacity easily. They aren't cheap however, with many starting at $400. If you have the money, you should look into NAS drives.

The one piece of hardware that has been growing in both popularity and storage size in recent years is that of the USB flash drives, or pen drives. These are small drives, about the size of a finger, that you simply plug into a USB port on your computer. Some are now 64 GB in size, and much larger ones are coming soon. They probably have enough storage space for what the average user needs, and they aren't terribly expensive (less $100). Another upside to using a flash drive is how easy it is to move it offsite to keep your backed up data even more safe.

Another backup method that is also increasing in popularity is that of online backups. I use this method as it is very convenient to keep my data safe. All you need is a broadband Internet connection. There are many online backup providers that you can choose from, each with it's own packages and pricing. There are also some that provides a few gigabytes of storage space for free if you don't have a lot to backup. Some are now offering unlimited storage space for less than ~$5 a month. Given that you can it up to automatically backup your data, and that your data is also offsite, using an online backup provider may be a good option for you.

As you can see from the above backup options, keeping your data safe and secure isn't expensive. While there is an investment, it may be worth it if you lose your data and didn't have it backed up.