Acronis World Backup Day Survey Shows 1 in 3 Australians Have Suffered Data Loss
With the growing number of PCs and mobile devices per household, new survey highlights Australians value data more than hardware
Sydney, Australia – March 30, 2016 – On the eve of the international World Backup Day March 31, a new global study sponsored by Acronis reveals a growing understanding about the value of, and attitudes toward, the protection of personal data on computers, mobile phones and tablet devices. More than half of survey respondents have more than four devices in a household to protect and 47 percent of Australians fear losing photos and videos the most. Security, adequate storage capacity and ease-of-use were cited as key requirements for backing up data.
Emerging concerns for personal data protection
The traditional fears of hardware failure and accidental deletion are no longer the sole reasons people fear data loss. Cyber-threats like ransomware, a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system and its data until a sum of money is paid, is a growing threat to individuals and businesses. A research report, Trends 2016: (In) Security Everywhere found that Australia has the third highest detection rates amongst developed countries globally for ransomware in December 2015, overtaking the US. Backup is one effective recovery option for cryptoWall-related attacks.
The data protection survey, conducted by Google on behalf of Acronis, focused on Australians’ understanding data protection behavior. Key findings from the more than 440 individuals include:
- The most important data protection features for Australians are ease-of-use, security, and privacy cited by 32% of respondents respectively
- 53% have more than four devices (computers, laptops, smartphones) in their homes.
- 48% of Australians ran out of storage space at some point and 45% claimed it happens to them once a year.
- Currently, 41% back up to external drives and 31% back up to the cloud.
- 62% percent of consumers back up at night and 17% backup while watching TV.
A new category of “data protectors”
With the median household having at least four devices, an emerging trend of users called “family data protectors” is also gaining traction. The sheer growth of data captured in mobile pictures and videos, music files, and scanned family documents means the family data protector ensures the immediate and extended family is prepared for, and protected against, data loss.
“Data loss via hardware failure, file deletion, and ransomware are factors most people don’t think about on a daily basis. But when they do occur, the results are devastating,” said John Zanni, Chief Marketing Officer and SVP Channel and Cloud Strategy at Acronis. “Our survey results illustrate a growing general recognition of the value of data stored on family computers and devices, especially given the price people are willing to pay for their data. We hope that this new information, presented on World Backup Day, will encourage even more people to backup their data and protect their personal information.”
“We asked Australians what are the main features they expecting from a backup solution and 32% of respondents expect their product to deliver security, adequate storage capacity and be user-friendly,” said Steve Goh, Vice President APAC & Emerging Markets at Acronis. “There’s no reason for consumers to be intimidated by data protection. It’s an easy and safe method to safeguard your digital memories and important documents and prevent the stress of data loss”.
Three simple steps to improving your data protection
For anyone, but especially for family data protectors, keeping digital memories and fiduciary documents safe, secure and private, is a responsibility that can be easy and inexpensive to exercise.
- Always have a backup of a family’s critical data, documents, pictures and videos.
- Keep your operating systems on the most up-to-date version. Those security patches and software updates are important
- Be mindful of suspicious emails or clicking on links sent by unknown sources, it could be a phishing scheme or Ransomware.
Protecting personal data is quick and easy – with Acronis True Image, in three clicks and 10 minutes, memories can be safe forever. For more information about World Backup Day, you can visit our website here.
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