Media Release:

Have you ever felt that sinking feeling when your phone suddenly dies or your computer crashes, and you realise the photos, messages or documents stored on it could be gone forever?

For many Australians, that fear is all too familiar.

From smartphones to laptops, Australians are generating and storing more data than ever, photos, videos, work files and creative projects, but a large proportion remain exposed to loss due to device failure, accidental deletion, cloud issues or cyber incidents.

As World Backup Day (31 March) approaches, experts are reminding Australians to take a few simple steps to protect their digital lives before something goes wrong.

Real-world cases highlight how easily that data can disappear.

Sydney-based creative Fabiana lost three years of photos, including irreplaceable memories from eight months of backpacking through Southeast Asia, and her last year in her hometown in the UK, after a cloud backup failure. 

“I thought everything was safe in the cloud. Then one day it was just gone… I actually sobbed. Those memories… they’re gone forever.” 

Like many Australians, Fabiana assumed her photos were automatically protected. But experts say relying on a single device or storage method can leave people vulnerable if something fails.

Backing up your files doesn’t take long, but it can save years of memories, work and important documents

A simple rule to protect your data

Experts recommend following the “3-2-1 rule” when backing up important files:

• Keep three copies of your data
• Use two different types of storage
• Keep one copy in a separate location

For many people, that might mean storing files on their phone or computer, saving a copy in the cloud, and also keeping a backup on a physical device such as a USB drive or external SSD.

Fabiana now backs up her photos in three separate locations. “If I had done that earlier, I wouldn’t have lost those precious travel memories. Spending a few minutes to back up your files is worth the peace of mind. I never want to go through that again.”

Easy ways to back up your data

Backing up important files can be simple.

For example, newer iPhone users, including the iPhone 15 Pro and later models, can transfer photos and videos directly to a SanDisk Phone Drive with USB-C™, creating a secure physical copy of their memories while also freeing up space on their device.

For older iPhones, the SanDisk Phone Drive dual-connector with Lightning and USB-C ports make it easy to move files between devices and create a reliable backup.

Laptop users can also back up their files to an external solid-state drive (SSD). SanDisk Extreme Portable SSDs allow users to back up documents, photos, emails and even their entire system, including operating systems, applications and settings. and settings.

World Backup Day serves as a reminder to take a few minutes to safeguard what matters most.