Organizing Files, Folders, and Backups – Tips & Tricks

12/10/2013

Face it, we are all busy, wasting time trying to find that one file can be extremely frustrating.

Some say they are too busy to make regular backups of their files… that is until something goes wrong. If you regularly use a computer/device then you need to have an organizational strategy that makes things easy to find as well as having a backup/restore procedure for those “just in case” moments. This is one of those areas where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I recently completed a two part screencast about organizing files, folders, and backups and posted to the ITC Techshare YouTube Channel. In Episode 33 and 34 of ITC Techshare I explain how I organize my computer files by academic year and subfolders.

As an educator, filing things by academic year makes sense to me. If you are an accountant or in administration, maybe organizing by fiscal year will make more sense to you. Most importantly use a system that works for you. The electronic filing system structure that I use has worked very well for me over the years and has several benefits.

1)    Files are organized by academic year so they are easy to file and find. Having a file structure that works for you will make you much more efficient and productive. Even with the ability of most operating systems to quickly search a hard drive having a structure will save you from wasting valuable time looking for files.

2)    Files are easily archived from previous years, once an academic year is over you can make a complete backup for archival purposes. These files should not change as the year is over and this archive represents a snapshot in time. You will need to make a backup of all your archived folders and have them ready to restore if needed.

3)   Because older academic years are archived in their own separate folder you can concentrate your efforts on routinely backing up the current academic year files that routinely change. These represent your active work that may change daily. Since you have already archived previous academic years work on other backups you can concentrate backing up the much smaller and constantly changing current academic year folder.

4)    Remember, in the event of a computing/natural disaster you are only as good as your last backup that you have access to. You will need your last backup of archived files as well as your last backup of your current academic year files readily available if a disaster strikes, see the 3-2-1 Backup Rule below.

5)    It is not enough to just backup your files, you must also have confidence that you will be able to restore your files from a backup, if needed, in the event of a disaster. You will want to periodically test your recovery procedures to make sure your system will work in the time of need. Check with your IT department for assistance.

In Part 1 of this screencast I share the basic file structure I use to organize my files.

In Part 2 I share some backup strategies as well as the 3-2-1 Backup Rule that will maximize the protection of your data in the event of a disaster.

When should I backup my files?

I use the “Pain Theory” of backups. If it will be painful to re-create the work that I may potentially lose due to a computing failure then it is time to make a backup. Anytime I have done a lot of work that I do not want to lose... I make a backup. At a minimum the beginning, middle, and end of the semester are good times to make a backup as these are times of massive changes. Of course, I do this more often as necessary. Each backup is a snapshot in time, so as changes occur you need to regularly make backups. 

If you use a network drive your IT department may already make regular backups for you depending upon space limitations, many IT departments enforce quotas for network drives so be sure to understand what is and is not being backed up.

3-2-1 Backup Rule

In Episode 34 I briefly explain the 3-2-1 Backup Rule that states you need to have:

§         3 copies of anything you care about

§         2 different formats

§         1 off-site backup

I have also provided a link to the full blog posting by Scott Hanselman about the Computer Backup Rule of Three that is worth a read at:

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheComputerBackupRuleOfThree.aspx

Be sure to follow your organizations policies about making and storing backups. Just like your computer access, backups need to be stored in a safe and secure location behind locked doors. Also, be aware some organizations may not approve of “cloud storage” services like Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, etc…

Cloud services have varying degrees of security and you should not store private/confidential information to personal accounts using cloud services that are not supported by your organizations IT department policies and procedures. These policies and procedures are put in place to protect data and confidentiality. Each organization will need to develop its own policies and procedures when it comes to using new devices and services. These services are evolving rapidly so a regular review will be necessary to keep up with the changing technologies.

Great for Students Too!

We are starting a new semester in January and it would be a great time to do some preemptive organizing for a new semester. If you are a student, imagine if you were to organize all of your courses by academic year, each in their own subfolder. At the end of your four years in college you would have a well-organized conglomeration of everything you did in college by course, by academic year. This will help in your future job search as you can refer back to examples of coursework you completed and makes it easy to put together a portfolio of your finest work.

Best of all, you will be able to find it!

Keep on Learning,

Tom Grissom. Ph.D.

@tomgrissom