Once you have made the commitment to performing backups of your data, you need storage space. Your options are many at this point. No matter what option you choose, you want to weigh the cost of the storage against the “shelf life” of the storage (no, I’m afraid CD’s and DVD’s do not last forever…) and the convenience.

Let’s take a look at some of your options…

• Floppy Disks - An older technology not really suitable for backups any longer.
• CD/DVD - A low-cost storage medium that is great for when you need to keep a running history of backups due to their fairly large capacity and low cost.
• USB Flash Drive - Small, solid-state backup devices that can fit on your key chain. The price continues to drop on these little babies while the storage space continues to climb.
• External Hard Drive - These handy devices are surprisingly inexpensive and allow you to attach a portable hard drive to a computer through a USB port and sometimes a “firewire” port. Their portability allows them to be used on several computers.
• Online Storage - There are companies popping up all over that will allow you to save your data to a storage facility using the public internet.