It happens all the time. A smartphone drops and breaks or gets left behind somewhere by mistake and is never seen again. A computer freezes up and won't restart. What happens to all the data on said phone or computer? Hopefully the owner backed up the data. But let's be honest, a lot of us aren't backing up our data properly...if even at all! Maybe you just don't know what to back up, how to do it, or where to do it. Rather than be struck with pure panic and catastrophe if, and when, your phone, tablet or computer fails (because eventually they all do), you can sit pretty by being prepared. A New York Times article breaks it down into four categories.

First, let's start with backing up your files from your computer. With today's cloud-based technologies, backing up or transferring data has never been easier. Online services like OneDrive Migration can make it super easy to transfer files in an efficient and quick manner. You can transfer files to a secondary location as a back up option. There are also continuous and automatic back up options, which make it easy in that you don't have to remember to do anything AND the data is backed up offsite, so if a fire, flood or theft takes place, you're covered. Online services like Backblaze do this but require an annual fee. If you don't want to pay for a service like this, you can back up your data on an external hard drive. You should be able to set it up to back up automatically on your computer. Note, however, that this option is not offsite, so a local disaster could wipe out everything.

Next, are your photos and videos safe? Photos and videos tend to be the things people care the most about because they are sentimental and cannot be replaced. Apple's iCloud, Dropbox and Flickr can back up your photos and videos wirelessly and automatically, but you'll most likely have to pay for extra cloud storage. Google Photos and Amazon Photos may be able to back up your photos for free...if you don't mind your photos being compressed or if you have Prime.

Now, what about older videos on VHS tapes that you may have laying around the house? You can use a video transfer service to safely transfer VHS tapes to a digital format. Once you have your videos digitially, you can then back the videos up to cover your bases.

Have you "cleaned" out your phone and/or computer lately? Old files, email attachments, temporary files, abandoned apps and such could be wasting a lot of storage which can slow down your machine. Apple, Google and Microsoft have added tools to their operating systems to help you clear out unwanted and unused stuff. For details on exactly how to do this on each system, read this article.

Lastly, you should make sure your software is current. Updates make your machine more efficient, secure, and offer better features. Of course, there have been a few buggy updates here and there, but generally-speaking, updates are there to make machines run better. Nowadays, updates are tested deeply before being released so you should feel confident updating your machine. If you're not, contact the company to discuss your concerns.

Sure, none of this stuff is particularly fun, but if you want to protect your data, it's important you take the time to do check these items off your list.