Today is World Backup Day (yes, that’s a thing). World BackUp Day has been observed every year since 2011. The idea behind World Backup Day is simple:
- • Raise awareness of the crucial role data plays in all aspects of our lives
- Highlight the importance of safeguarding and preserving valuable digital assets and information
- Emphasize the need to back up data regularly to prevent loss from hardware failures, cyberattacks, or accidental deletions
The day serves as a reminder for individuals and organizations to create secure copies of essential files—things like documents, photos, and videos. It even has an official pledge:
“I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st.”
The initiative was founded by Ismail Jadun, who was inspired by a Reddit thread where people shared horror stories of data loss—and serves as a reminder to take steps to not let these kinds of losses happen again.
Martin Kunze, co-founder and CMO of Cerabyte, a ceramic data storage developer, puts it this way:
“In a world where every digital moment carries weight, World Backup Day is more than a reminder to protect our files – it’s a call to safeguard the digital legacy that shapes our era and our society. True data preservation isn’t just about storage; it’s about ensuring that today’s knowledge, culture, and discoveries remain accessible for generations to come.”
That’s a lot of risk. And for a lot of people, there is no present safety net.
Why Back Up?
According to World Backup Day statistics:
• 21% of people have never made a backup
• 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute
• 29% of data loss cases are caused by accidents
• 10–20% of consumer PCs are infected with malware every year
That’s a lot of risk. And for a lot of people, there is no present safety net.
The kicker? The amount of data is growing exponentially. According to Jason Lohrey, CEO and Founder of Arcitecta, a data management software provider: “It’s estimated that there will be more than 180 zettabytes of data in the world by the end of 2025. With the scale of data continually growing, making it secure and resilient is becoming harder to achieve.”
Both Lohrey and Molly Presley, SVP of Global Marketing at Hammerspace, a high-performance global data platform, recommend automated backup procedures for larger organizations.
Want to Participate?
Whether you’re an individual or an organization, it’s worth taking a few minutes to evaluate your current data protection strategies. Setting up a consistent backup schedule—even a basic one—goes a long way toward safeguarding your information from the unexpected. And in organizations, it helps create a broader culture of data security awareness.
According to Rich Gadomski, Co-Chairperson of the Active Archive Alliance (a vendor-neutral source for modern active archive strategies), a sound backup strategy includes:
• Creating a second archival copy of the data
• Ensuring at least one of the copies is stored at a different physical location
• Storing at least one of the copies offline
Gadomski also recommends moving inactive data onto active archive media to reduce the risk of malware infecting primary storage. He says: “Effective data management software can help organizations not only optimize storage and backup but also enhance cybersecurity.”
The Bottom Line
Backing up your data is critical. Gadomski puts it best:
“While cybersecurity software serves as a first line of defense against malware, organizations must always be prepared for the possibility of a successful attack. As massive data growth expands the attack surface, having a robust data protection and backup strategy is essential to ensure your data assets remain secure, protected, and recoverable.”
So let Backup Day be a reminder to all of us.
Gotta go. Have some backing up to do.