The loss and damage of physical objects happen all the time. To protect your important file, the best measure is to make backups, or extra copies, in case of data loss.
Each file and situation is unique, and so is the file backup need. However, the One-two-three and the Here-near-far principles are somewhere to get some good ideas from.
For your important files, make backups as below:
Here, near, and far refer to the 3 locations referred to in the One-two-three principle.
This might be where you collected your data or where you continue to work on. You might also sometimes want an offline copy when you cannot count on a cloud drive or the Internet.
This could be saving some files for longer term storage or to transfer data without uploading them online. Regarding external drives, the quality can make a huge difference keeping your files safe. Some questions or options to consider as below.
This is a very portable solution which also allows easier collaboration.
Physical storage media are not forever, the typical lifespan can last from a few years to a couple decades depending on the types and the conditions they are stored in. The following infographics shows the average lifespan, read more on the page https://mediafix.co.uk/durability-of-storage-media/.
Want to dive in the rabbit hole? Here you go, grabbed from Web Archive.
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