It goes without saying that if you don’t have a copy of the best backup software running right now on your computer, then you are making a huge mistake. Whether you are running a personal laptop or a large enterprise server, the need is the same, and so are the dangers. Before you buy your next backup package, here are a few considerations that you should keep in mind before you make the purchase.

1. Where you back up your information is more important than you think. It is very easy to go and buy a backup software package that allows you to save your data to an external hard drive or even to an old-fashioned tape drive. But if you stop to think about it, you will realize how futile this really is. It is absolutely essential that you store your backup in a separate location, preferably in a completely different building from the one your computer normally resides in. The best backup software will automatically upload your backup to an Internet location for safekeeping, just in case your building is wiped out in a fire or flood or is hit by electrical problems or theft.

2. It sounds obvious that a piece of software should be easy to install, but you would be surprised at how many people buy what they think is the best backup software only to never install it. In many ways, it is like buying an insurance policy but never putting the check in the mail to pay for it. You need to be able to install it easily, and more importantly, you also need to be able to set it to run on its own. A backup program that needs to be babysat will be neglected and will not keep your data current.

3. When it comes to retrieving your data after a crash, an accidental deletion, a virus attack, or any other number of possibilities, you will want to be able to choose from at least two options: whether to recover the entire disk or just particular items. If you lose your computer, have it stolen, or find that it is damaged irrevocably, then having a disk image backup program will be best for you. This will enable you to copy everything (including applications and user preferences) in one easy step. However, if you accidentally delete a file on your computer, then you will want a traditional backup where you can pick and choose the files you restore.

4. Finally, the best backup software usually has some kind of both online support and telephone support. Ideally, you will want to be able to access it 24/7, because computers generally don’t crash during office hours! Having telephone support may not seem important, but when you have no computer or limited access, you will need someone to talk you through the recovery steps.

The good news is that you don’t have to pay a lot for the best backup software anymore. Whether you choose disk image software or incremental backup software (or one that does both), you will find that it is affordable, and compared to the price of having to rebuild an entire drive’s worth of information, it is a downright bargain.

The key to any backup program is that it is easy enough for the most inept person in your organization to use, just in case they are the one on duty when the system goes down. If you are only backing up your own computer, then make sure it is easy enough for you to install and definitely easy enough for you to use to recover your lost data.