Backing up Your Computer Prior to Servicing
- A.J. Newman
- Dan Jakubiak
- Thomas Bergendahl
The Information Technology Services (ITS) Technology Support Center (TSC) provides hands-on support to university-issued and personally-owned computers for UConn community members. This support is provided by trained and specialized employees who have deep understanding of the computer systems that they work on. These technicians will work to resolve issues on computers, making great effort to do so without disturbing client data and applications. However, this is not always possible and the path to issue resolution may require or result in data loss. Because of this, all users who seek services from the TSC for their device are asked to back up their data to a location separate from their computer before coming to the TSC for service.
This article will outline recommendations for backing up device data for both university-issued and personally owned devices.
It is the responsibility of the device owner to back up their data. The Technology Support Center will not back up your data for you. This article offers suggestions for backup solutions, but it is the responsibility of the device owner to validate that their data is appropriately backed up before having their device serviced.
Backing up your data
Data stored on OneDrive is not maintained after graduation or the ending of employment. You should migrate your data off OneDrive when separating from UConn.
The best practice for managing university data is to store it on a managed file service instead of storing it directly on your computer. Doing so protects your data from a broken or stolen device. This section will outline the options supported by ITS.
Data backed up to a USB flash drive is not considered properly backed up.
Individual user data
OneDrive
Data that is specific to a single user should be stored in OneDrive, the cloud sync solution offered by ITS to active students, staff, and faculty. OneDrive offers storage for individual users to store their day-to-day working files. ITS-managed Windows computers should all have the OneDrive sync client installed on them, and Macs can have OneDrive installed easily. Anything in OneDrive folders should be automatically synced to the cloud. To make sure that you have OneDrive set up, follow the instructions here: Connect Computer to OneDrive
For training on how to use OneDrive, see the training session recorded here: OneDrive - Microsoft Provided Training
Departmental and shared data
SharePoint
SharePoint is the preferred method of storing department/group data. It allows for group collaboration, cross-platform data access, and is protected by modern authentication standards. SharePoint functions similarly to OneDrive, but data is owned by the SharePoint site instead of individual users. This means the data remains when people leave the department/university. For information on how to set up and use SharePoint, see the articles listed here.
Non-UConn services
This section will outline services and products available outside of UConn. Your use of these services and products is subject to your best judgement for appropriate use. You may choose to use these services to store your personal, non-university, data.
Cloud storage solutions
Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are available as personal services with accounts that are made outside of UConn. Additional cloud solutions include Dropbox and Amazon Drive.
iCloud
Apple offers iCloud for their suite of devices. It is a syncing system that allows system folders to remain synced between devices. iCloud can also store information such as iMessage history, Apple Health, and other services that are included with Apple devices.
Time Machine
Time Machine is a tool from Apple that allows Mac users to back up their computer to a physical external hard drive. To learn more about Time Machine, see this article from Apple. Note that you must use Time Machine with an external storage device in order to consider is a backup.
External hard drive (HDD)
An external HDD is a cheap way to store a large amount of data off of a computer. Reputable manufacturers offer products that will last several years before showing signs of drive wear.
iTunes, Apple Configurator 2, and Finder
Devices running iOS and iPadOS can be backed up to a computer (regardless of available iCloud storage). Computers running Windows can back up using iTunes. Macs can use the functionality built into Finder or through Apple Configurator 2.
USB flash drive
A USB flash drive is a way to temporarily store data. Though USB flash drives are designed for long-term storage (nonvolatile storage), the variation in quality of USB flash drives on the market relegate them to being a less ideal form of data storage. Poorly manufactured flash drives have the potential for data loss and corruption, even in ideal usage.
Like your computer itself, a USB flash drive should never hold the sole copy of data.