The best security most users can have for their computer is a good backup system. This means whatever happens to your computer your data files are safe. Of course you should periodically check the backup you’ve created to make sure it’s going to perform the restore operation on that awful occasion it’s actually required.
The recent General Data Protection Regulations, GDPR, have now also made people think about what can happen to those files rather than just the hardware they reside on. It’s safer having multiple copies of your important data but do you know where they all are and who has access to them?
The standard computer password which controls access to your desktop may stop the casual user looking through your files but the actual data is just sitting on the disk drive. Anyone with even modest technical knowledge is able to read those files.
There are options to encrypt the data and prevent anyone without the correct password accessing your files. These need to be specially setup before you need them – typically the complete drive is encrypted. With this level of encryption it’s impossible to access the data if you should forget the password.
Most modern operating systems have options to encrypt your data although it may be a paid option or add-on which needs to be downloaded from an app store. Alternatives exist in the software market place with free of charge packages readily available.