Professor Okajima advises on essential data backup strategies

Professor Yushi Okajima of Chuo University warns of the increasing risks of sudden data loss due to the nature of modern storage technology. Unlike older hard drives that often provided audible warnings before failing, modern Solid State Drives (SSDs) can fail abruptly without prior signs, potentially leading to the permanent loss of critical files such as personal photos or professional manuscripts.

Okajima notes that relying solely on cloud storage can be deceptive. Because many cloud services operate on a synchronization mechanism, accidental deletions or malware-driven file corruption on a local device are often immediately mirrored to the cloud. To mitigate these risks, he recommends the ‘3-2-1 rule’: maintaining three copies of data, using two different types of media, and keeping one copy in a physically separate location.

Furthermore, he advises against keeping external backup drives constantly connected to a computer to prevent them from being encrypted by ransomware. He emphasizes that a backup is only effective if it can be successfully restored, suggesting that users periodically test their backups by attempting to open files from an external drive.