World Backup Day 2025: All the news, updates and advice from our experts

It's Monday, March 31st, which means that World Backup Day has officially started! In this blog we will be bringing you live coverage of all the news, updates and advice from the cloud and data experts on World Backup Day 2025.

Keeping your important files and precious memories backed-up securely using a backup strategy might sound like overkill, but if your drive fails or your data is encrypted by a malicious program, you'll be kicking yourself for not backing up sooner.

Making sure your data is safe and protected has never been so important as we continue our way in the wild world of digital transformation, but with so much to do these days, it can sometimes go forgotten. Don't worry though, we've rounded up

• advice from our experts to make sure your data is protected.
• horror tales from our team and elsewhere to remind you of what can happen
• exclusive deals from our backup partners to keep your data safe
• backup content from our extensive archive
• data backup stories around the world
• And much more!

What is World Backup Day anyway

World Backup Day was founded by Ismail Jadun on a subreddit back on the 30th of March 2011, the day before April's fool. That date was not chosen randomly as it gave birth to the event's tagline, Don't be an April Fool. Backup your data. World Backup Day is now an annual fixture in the global tech calendar with tens of thousands of articles and mentions every year and a multi-lingual website(ed: Unfortunately, we couldn't find the original Reddit post).

The World Backup Day Pledge

It's almost the start of World Backup Day in New Zealand where it is 1 minute past midnight on Monday 31st of March, the last day of the first quarter of 2025. WBD even have a semi-official pledge: “I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st. #WorldBackupDay”. Backup, of course, applies both to consumers and businesses as well and in large enterprises, falls under the remit of the CDO or Chief Data officer. Maybe someone should write such a pledge for businesses after all.

How big is World Backup Day?

Google Trends shows a big spike for World Backup Day every year since it launched, towards the end of March. There is a weird one, bigger than all of them, recorded in July 2005, 6 years before the debut of the happening. A quick search on Google didn't bring up anything relevant. We know that citizens from Singapore and Slovenia have been searching the most about World Backup Day over the years. Not so much for other countries of the Western world.

Wait, what is backup?

A backup, in tech terms, is a bunch of files that have been copied over to a service (like a cloud backup provider), a local device (like a USB flash drive) or to a remote device (e.g. NAS located next door). That's the simplest way of looking at it. Remember though that this is only a snapshot. Some files change all the time and you may need to adopt a regular backup process, either manual or automated, in order to make sure your data is always safe. Why not download one of these free backup software and try your hands at your first backup?

The ultimate playlist for your World Backup Day

We asked Google's Gemini to come up with a list of songs that best embody data backup and storage. We got quite an eclectic one, which may raise an eyebrow or two when should you play it in your office. Here it is

• "Don't Delete the Kisses" - French Kisses: (Literal, suggesting saving precious moments)
• "Cloudbusting" - Kate Bush: (Cloud storage metaphor, and a feeling of being saved/rescued)
• "Safe and Sound" - Capital Cities: (Feeling secure, like your data is protected)
• "Keep Your Head Up" - Andy Grammer: (Resilience, backing up your strength)
• "Fix You" - Coldplay: (Recovery and restoration, like recovering lost data)
• "The Backup Plan" - Jennifer Lopez: (Directly related, even if it's about relationships)
• "Locked Out of Heaven" - Bruno Mars: (The feeling of losing access, needing a backup)
• "Digital Love" - Daft Punk: (Digital connection, the importance of preserving it)
• "Shelter" - Porter Robinson & Madeon: (Finding a safe space, like a secure backup)
• "Every Breath You Take" - The Police: (Constant monitoring, like vigilant data security)
• "Under Pressure" - Queen & David Bowie: (The stress of data loss, and the need for backup)
• "Save Tonight" - Eagle-Eye Cherry: (Saving something valuable before it's gone)
• "With a Little Help from My Friends" - The Beatles: (Community backup, support systems)
• "I Will Survive" - Gloria Gaynor: (Data resilience and recovery)
• "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" - Timbuk 3: (Looking forward with confidence, knowing you're prepared with backups)

Why should I have a regular backup?

Having a regular data backup can help protect your important files from being lost in a number of situations. For example, your regular storage could suffer a hardware failure rendering your files unrecoverable, or you could be the victim of a ransomware attack that encrypts all of your data unless you pay a substantial fee. By having a regular backup in place, you can avoid losing your files in these situations saving you from the mental anguish of being unable to recover precious memories and important work files.

What is the difference between Cloud Storage and Cloud Backup anyway?

I'm sure this is a question that is often asked on World Backup Day. Cloud Storage is used just like the regular storage on your phone or computer, providing an online drive to store your files on. An internet connection is required to access your cloud drive unless you mark a file as 'available offline'. Cloud storage will also allow you to synchronize and share files.

Cloud Backup on the other hand is more for protecting important data. Cloud backups can be scheduled to automatically store and encrypt specific files and folders to keep them available if your local version is lost or corrupted.

What online backup service do you currently use?

We polled over 2,500 TechRadar Pro readers through our WhatsApp channel, and it might interest you to hear which cloud storage options were most popular. Between Google Drive, OneDrive, IDrive, Apple Cloud, Dropbox, and ‘other’, we asked our readers which online storage options they’re using, and we’ve listed all of our recommendations for best photo backup cloud services, so don’t forget to let us know in the comments what you recommend and why! Check out our full findings here.

How much backup storage do I need?

When choosing a backup strategy, one of the biggest factors you need to consider is the amount of backup space you need. The most important thing to remember is that a backup is for important files, not for all your files. Most people will have between 500GB and a couple of terabytes worth of storage space on their computer, but if you download a lot of films from streaming services to watch offline, or have your entire Steam library downloaded, you won't need to store them in your backup.

Most of the best cloud backup plans offer between 1TB and 5TB of storage at a variety of price points, with highly customizable options and extra features to suit your backup requirements.

How often should I backup my files?

This really depends on your chosen mode of storage. For cloud backup services, you can often set up a backup schedule that suites you. This can often range from one a week, to as often as every 15 minutes for highly important files that are subject to frequent changes. As for physical storage, you may have to manually save your important files to you chosen media as often as you need, but luckily you can use the best backup software to schedule automatic backups for your physical drives and even sync them with your cloud backups in line with the 3-2-1 backup strategy.

What role does AI have in data security?

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has been at the forefront of conversations everywhere, from boardrooms to school yards. Simon Jelley, Vice President and General Manager, Data Protection, Arctera told us his thoughts about ambivalent role AI plays in data security.

“AI enhances data security, monitoring and productivity but also increases risk of data loss and cyber threats. Automated scanning and sophisticated phishing attacks from this technology also introduces new challenges, namely the enhanced ability to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Organisations need to stay on the front foot against these evolving threats. This World Backup Day serves as a reminder that data protection must be a shared responsibility. It’s not just for data protection experts, but for all IT professionals, including newer players such as cloud and cyber security specialists."

Data backup is more than just hard drives and tape, it's also about connectivity

When we think of data backup, we usually conjure pictures of hard drives, tapes and optical media like Blu-ray. But backup is more than that especially when you think about remote backup. Dr. Thomas King, the CTO of global internet exchange operator DE-CIX, makes the point below that scalable data backup doesn't work without resilient connectivity.

World Backup Day has traditionally carried a very simple yet powerful message for businesses: backup your data. A large part of this is “data redundancy” – the idea that storing multiple copies of data in separate locations will offer greater resilience in the event of an outage or network security breach. Yet, as workloads have moved into the cloud, and AI and SaaS applications have become dominant vehicles for productivity, the concept of “redundancy” has started to expand. Businesses not only need contingency plans for their data, but contingency plans for their connectivity. Relying on a single-lane, vendor-locked connectivity pathway is a bit like only backing your data up in one place – once that solution fails, it’s game over.

"Backup is just the beginning"

Powerful words from Frank DeBenedetto, General Manager of GTM, MSP Suite at IT SaaS company Kaseya about Backup and how it is just the beginning on what is a journey fraught with dangers. He added "disaster recovery is what ensures business resilience. Organisations must go beyond simple data storage and embrace a comprehensive recovery strategy to minimise downtime, mitigate cyber risks, and ensure business continuity. With modern threats on the rise and emerging technologies shaping the landscape, a proactive and well-defined disaster recovery approach is more critical than ever".

What is the 3-2-1 backup concept?

The 3-2-1 backup concept is an expert-recommended strategy for keeping your files as safe and secure as possible. The basic concept revolves around having three copies of your data (one of which being the original), stored on at least two different types of media (a hard drive and a cloud sever, for example), with at least one of the copies being stored off-site and preferably in an 'air-gapped' environment. This means that there is no external connection to the storage medium, so if you store your backed-up data on a hard drive in a box under your bed you have effectively air-gapped your backup.

Do you trust your data backup?

Another comment, this time from Vincent Oostlander, Sales Director Solutions Business EMEA, Seagate Technology. He rightly points to the importance of making sure that the data that you backed up is trustworthy because it may be used not only for a straightforward recovery, but also for a multitude of other use cases including AI training.

Oosterlander said, "The rapid expansion of AI technology creates a deeper reliance on the integrity of the underlying data, not solely on its volume. A recent global survey by McKinsey reveals that 72% of organisations across the globe have incorporated AI into at least one aspect of their operations. However, the trustworthiness of AI systems hinges on the credibility of the data that fuels them. Whether it's through capturing training checkpoints or maintaining source data sets, extensive retention of data throughout the AI process ensures validation of its reliability."

Are there ways I can backup for free?

Keeping your data backed up and secure shouldn't cost the world. Luckily, there are ways you can keep your most important files securely stored for free. One method is by using the best free backup software which will give you a limited amount of free online backup space - usually between 2GB and 25GB. There are also numerous free cloud storage plans. I always find I have an abundance of USB drives, which are great for backing up small projects and important photos and videos, especially if you prefer having physical copies of your backups within arms reach.

Horrifying backup stories - part 1

This one is from a senior editor who works at Future and illustrates the point that data backup isn't just for businesses but works for something mundane as your game save. Or, in that particular case, didn't work for my poor colleague:

"Back in 2020, I was fully immersed in the Last Of Us Part II on the PS4. I spent many hours invested in the storyline, admiring the bold storytelling twists, until the fateful day I got myself a PlayStation 5.

Even though I was an hour-ish from the end of the game, I was taken in by the lure of the PS5 and its option to port all previous PS4 saved data, so you could play all your old-gen games on the shiny new console. It sounded seamless and for pretty much everyone else in the world it was.

For the most part this worked for me as well. Save data for nearly all my games went through fine. All except The Last Of Us Part II. I thought I had ported the saved data over but when I loaded the game up it would only start from the very beginning. It wasn't saved to the cloud and it had disappeared from the storage.

Not to worry, I thought, I'll just play it on the PS4 and all will be fine.

It wasn't. I still don't know what I did but the data shift to the PS5 had borked my PS4. I had to do a factory reset to get the thing working again, which wiped everything.

Nightmare.

In short: I was so annoyed, I didn't revisit the game until some years later and the remaster came out. I'm glad I did, but that back up disaster sullied the experience for a long time."

How to test if my backup really works?

Testing your if your backup works should be an essential part of your backup strategy. The best part is that you don't need any fancy tools to test if its working. Whether you use an online backup or a local drive/server, you can simply change the name of a file or folder and then run the backup. If the file or folder return to their original name after the backup is complete, then it is working. In more complex testing scenarios, businesses will often simulate a failure of some kind and then run a backup retrieval to see if all the files are restored.

"Don't underestimate the power of a backup"

John-Anthony Disotto, now a colleague at TechRadar, worked as a former Apple employee at the company's Genius Bar - an in-person, walk-in support service that Apple offers in its stores and gives a rare opportunity to gauge human interactions and reactions.

"Some of my worst experiences working at Apple’s Genius Bar", he told me, "were due to corrupt backups, or loss of precious information after an iPhone disaster."

He continued, "I worked at Apple repairing iPhones, I can’t even count how many times customers would cry over data loss, following some kind of damage that would render their devices unrepairable. Whether that was losing the last photo of a deceased loved one, or important documents like full college dissertations, telling someone their info was gone led to some of the most heartbreaking interactions."

"So, you’ve heard it from me, don’t underestimate the power of a backup, and make sure you’ve always got precious information saved. Otherwise, you could end up losing some of your most important digital memories, and nobody wants that."

Nobody wants that indeed.

Cloud backup versus physical backup

You may be wondering what the best backup strategy is, and if a cloud based service would be a better choice than storing your important files on a physical drive yourself. Luckily I'm here to give you the pros and cons for both options.

Cloud backups have become increasingly popular due to their ease of use and generous storage capacity. They will often offer automatic backup schedules and encrypt your data while it is in transfer to keep it secure from snoops and hackers. The downside however, is that you can only access your data if you have an internet connection and their servers are operating as normal.

As for physical backups, many people prefer storing their important files on a hard disk drive or SSD they own as it enables them to retain ultimate control over their data, especially for those who don't trust a third party to keep it secure or those who don't have a reliable internet connection. The downsides being that you have to buy your own storage and have the infrastructure in place to run regular backups, which can become tedious and expensive.

Data backup: It is all about planning, planning, planning

Ilia Sotnikov, Security Strategist at Netwrix, shares his advice to help ensure an organization’s backups are well-prepared for emergency situations. In his views, the process starts with proper planning, identifying what matters most to ensure business continuity and can be restored fast enough to keep the business running:

"Plan backups with recovery objectives in mind. from most valuable to least valuable data and determine differentiated backup and recovery strategies.

Know where the organization can rely on service providers and where it cannot. Not everything is automatically backed up in the cloud.

Prioritize what to restore first after an incident. Restoring large volumes of data can take hours, days or even weeks, bear that in mind when planning.

Secure the organization’s backups. Ransomware gangs know that security teams have a Plan B for restoring data in case the primary defense measures are unable to block an attack."

Use World Backup Day as a gut check says CEO

Larry O’Connor, CEO and Founder, Other World Computing, chimes in on World Backup Day in a statement to TechRadar Pro. "If you’re a creative or a business owner", he argues, "Your data isn’t just files; it’s your work, your ideas, your late nights and early mornings. It’s everything you’ve built. Now, imagine waking up one day and it’s all gone. No photos, no projects, no client records. Just… gone. It’s the kind of thing you assume won’t happen to you… until it does. That’s why World Backup Day is a good gut check. A solid backup plan isn’t about expecting disaster, it’s about making sure that no matter what - whether it’s a hardware failure, a cyberattack, or just a simple mistake - you don’t lose the work that matters most." Just like every house with a fire alarm should regularly check whether it works, same goes for your business backup. Failure to do so could you more than just your sanity

Bothersome Backup Blindspot Blighting Businesses

The good news – 60% of companies already back up their data daily. The bad news? While they’re on top of their own recovery strategies, businesses often overlook their third parties. That's key stakeholders that help businesses function on a daily basis. And that blindspot on how suppliers and partners handle sensitive data can be just as risky, exposing them to data loss during a breach. This has happened several times in the past, most notably last year during the NHS attack that saw 400GB of sensitive patient data siphoned by hackers. Loren Johnson, Risk Evangelist at Aravo, sees this all the time and believes that although backing up data is important, businesses should be as attentive to best practices for managing infosecurity risks with third parties.

"You need a dedicated Active Directory backup strategy"

Active Directory, Microsoft's equivalent of an internal table-of-content for any organization relying on Windows technology is almost always the first target in any successful cyberattack. Sean Deuby, Principal Technologist at Semperis, urges companies to adopt a backup solution that recognise AD’s special status in the enterprise and its unique recovery requirements. He notes, "in 90 percent of attacks the identity system, most often Active Directory, is compromised. To significantly reduce recovery time and quickly resume normal operations, even after an attack, organisations need a dedicated Active Directory (AD) backup strategy. AD is used by more than 80 percent of businesses today as a fundamental system that both users and applications depend upon to function."