A History of Backups

In twenty years I went from not understanding the value of backups to evangelizing backups to never needing to back up my data again.

Let me explain.

Twenty years ago I never backed up my data.

Fifteen years ago I was making weekly backups of my data. I had gotten the hacker bug — I was building computers and enrolling in every technology course available. As with most hackers I desired absolute control over hardware and software. I didn’t backup because it was smart; backing up was fundamental to my cause.

Five years ago I started Tyler the Techie. I often advised my customers and students to, among other things, regularly back up their data. I was a hacker teacher. Mark Hurst sums up the hacker teacher’s thoughts on backing up well in Bit Literacy¹:

There are two kinds of users: those who already back up, and those who will.

In 2010 I began using Dropbox which made backups mostly unnecessary.

In 2011 I began using iCloud which filled the gap for everything Dropbox couldn’t. Number of backups performed in 2011: one, when I migrated from a Macbook Pro to a Macbook Air.

So far in 2012 I have yet to make any backups. Just last week I arrived at the office only to realize I had forgotten my Macbook Air at home. I simply grabbed another available Macbook, linked my Dropbox account, linked my Apple ID, and downloaded a few apps I needed from the Mac App Store. I was up and running, with full access to all my data, within minutes.

In twenty years I went from not understanding the value of backups to evangelizing backups to never needing to back up my data again. No one person or company enabled this; it was many people, over many years, at companies big and small, all passionate about many causes, but all resulting in the same achievement: the ability to worry less and enjoy life more.

How many other things change this much in twenty years? Human beings are amazing.