Back Up Your Work Like a Pro: A Cybersecurity Essential for Content Creators

Your work is your world. Whether it's high-res cosplay photos, editing project files, music tracks, stream layouts, scripts, or client work—you’ve likely spent hours (if not weeks) crafting it.

Now imagine losing it all. No warning. No recovery. Just... gone.

It’s a nightmare that hits creators more often than you think. From stolen laptops to corrupted drives, accidental deletes to ransomware attacks—data loss is real. But the good news? With the right backup strategy, it's also totally avoidable.

Think of backups as your creative insurance policy. Without them, a single mistake or glitch could mean:

• Lost commissions or unrecoverable work

• Missed deadlines (and disappointed clients)

• Damage to your brand or business

• Financial loss if content is monetised

Even worse? If your only copy gets hit by ransomware, you may be locked out of everything—unless you pay up (and even then, there’s no guarantee).

Professional creators and cybersecurity experts follow a simple rule:

3 copies of your data
2 different formats (e.g. external drive + cloud)
1 stored off-site (i.e. not in your house)

Here’s how it breaks down:

1️⃣ Primary Copy – The one you’re working on right now

This lives on your computer, SD card, or tablet.

2️⃣ Secondary Copy – A backup on an external hard drive

Use a portable SSD or HDD to make manual or automatic backups. Bonus if it’s encrypted.

3️⃣ Off-Site Copy – A secure cloud backup

This protects you if your gear gets lost, stolen, or damaged (fire, flood, or worse). Cloud backups are your safety net.

Here are some tried-and-true options used by pros across photography, video, design, and streaming:

🔹 External Drives:

• Samsung T7 – Fast, portable SSD

• WD My Passport – Reliable and budget-friendly

• LaCie Rugged – Great for travel or rough handling

🔹 Backup Software:

• Mac: Time Machine (built-in)

• Windows: File History or third-party tools like Macrium Reflect

• Cross-platform: SyncBackFree, Acronis, or ChronoSync

🔹 Cloud Storage:

• Backblaze – Unlimited backup, set and forget

• Google Drive / OneDrive / Dropbox – Good for everyday files

• iDrive – Affordable, with mobile backup support

• pCloud – Optional encryption and EU-based storage

Make sure to encrypt your backups if they contain sensitive client data or private content.

Here’s a simple checklist to start:

🗂 Project files
📷 Raw images and video footage
🎨 Edited content (Finals and PSDs/EDLs)
🎙 Voiceovers, music tracks, podcast recordings
📑 Scripts, notes, contracts
🧾 Invoices, business records, receipts
🎛 Stream overlays, presets, LUTs

💡 Automate weekly backups or more often during busy seasons.

🚫 Relying on just one backup (especially if it’s always plugged in—ransomware loves that)
🚫 Using only cloud sync (like Google Drive) as a backup – accidental deletes still sync and vanish
🚫 Forgetting to test your backups – make sure you can restore from them before you need to
🚫 Storing backups in the same room as your gear – if your house floods, so does your data

• Plug in an external drive – copy your important folders now

• Sign up for a cloud backup service – let it run in the background

• Set a reminder – weekly or monthly to back up new stuff

• Label your drives & keep one off-site – even just in a drawer at a friend’s place