<p>Just in time for the start of the semester, Marty and Eric talk about ways you can organize and manage your document backups</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The Simple Backup Plan (3-2-1)</strong></p><p>Rule: 3 copies, 2 types of storage, 1 off-site.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Step-by-step (7 steps)</strong></p><p>Make a home base: Create folders: Teaching, Research, Service, Admin.</p><p>Turn on encryption: FileVault (Mac) / BitLocker (Win).</p><p>Cloud copy (off-site): Save active work inside OneDrive/Google Drive/Box (edu account). Make sure version history is on.</p><p>Local versioned copy:</p><p>Mac → Time Machine to an external drive/NAS.</p><p>Windows → File History/Windows Backup to an external drive/NAS.</p><p>Air-gapped copy (optional but great): A second encrypted SSD you plug in weekly, back up, then unplug and keep elsewhere (office/home).</p><p>Label & note: Keep a one-page “Backup Map” listing where copies live and how to restore.</p><p>Test restore: Once a quarter, restore one random file from each place.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Weekly rhythm (easy to remember)</strong></p><p>Daily: Work from your cloud-synced folder.</p><p>Weekly (Fri): Plug drive, let Time Machine/File History run; if you have a second SSD, run it, unplug, store off-site.</p><p>Quarterly: Do a 5-minute test restore.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Tips that prevent headaches</strong></p><p>Compliance first: Use IT/IRB-approved storage for FERPA/PHI/IRB data.</p><p>Ransomware safety: Keep one offline copy or use cloud “file lock/immutable” if available.</p><p>Email ≠ backup: Export gradebooks/key emails (PDF/CSV) into your term folders.</p><p>Name things clearly: 2025-FA COUN62356 Syllabus v03.docx.</p><p>Exclude junk: Downloads, caches, node_modules, giant temp files.</p><p>Notifications on: Set backup apps to alert on failures.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>One-line defaults (pick these if unsure)</strong></p><p>Cloud: OneDrive (edu)</p><p>Local backup: Time Machine (Mac) / File History (Win)</p><p>Extra SSD: 2TB USB-C, encrypted</p><p><br></p><p>iDrive</p><p><a href="http://idrive.com/">Idrive.com</a><br></p><p>Backblaze<br><a href="http://backblaze.com/">Backblaze.com</a> </p><p>Carbonite<br><a href="http://carbonite.com/">Carbonite.com</a><br></p><p>pCloud</p><p><a href="http://pcloud.com/">pCloud.com</a><br></p><p>Sync<br><a href="http://sync.com/">Sync.com</a> </p><p>Crashplan</p><p><a href="http://crashplan.com/">Crashplan.com</a><br></p><p>GoogleOne<br><a href="http://one.google.com/">one.google.com</a> </p><p>OneDrive</p><p><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage">https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage</a></p><p><br></p><p>Email: [email protected]</p><p>Website: ThePodTalk.Net</p>
