Computers always crash when it’s least convenient. It’s basically a law of nature. When you’re a parent, this law doubles because little fingers often find their way to our technology and innocently cause destruction. I have learned this the hard way. Too many times. I’ve lost photos we will never get back because I didn’t take the time to keep my backups up-to-date.

Backing up data is something I know I should do just about every week, but getting the ginormous back up drive, hooking if up to the computer and figuring out which files I’ve added to my computer and need backing up is a time-consuming task that almost never gets done. Good thing there are tools that make the process hassle-free and run in the background.

Carbonite is a great website that offers unlimited backups starting at $59 per year. Once you’ve created a secure profile, the website will prompt you to download the companion software. While it does take a few moments to set up and decide which preferences you want (do I want all my files backed up, or just photos and documents), the software runs in the background forever and ever amen. The downside to the software is that is can take quite some time to backup data (depending on your internet speed and how much data you need backed up). However, the major perks here are the security of knowing your backup is updated every single day and if your computer crashes, you can re-download all your data as soon as your computer is repaired or replaced.

DropBox is a service most of us have at least heard of for sharing files with other people. However, while it doesn’t necessarily offer constant data backup, it is also a great way to save essential documents, photos, or anything else important you may have on your hard drive. This service also offers website data access as well as a companion program that runs on your computer itself. Get a free account (just a few GB) or upgrade to a larger space starting at $9.99 per month. This is a great option for folks who love to send large files to friends and family, and also folks who just want to pick and choose what they need to be backed up.

Time Capsule (Mac and PC) serves as not only a great router, but an at-home, automatic, wireless backup of your home computers. This is a great option for homes with multiple computers and the backup process happens so seamlessly  you don’t even notice it in the background.  This is a really great option if your nervous about online services getting hacked or if you have a home business and don’t trust anyone else with your clients’ information.

What’s your favorite method of backing up your devices? Do you use cloud computing services or do you have another favorite? Sounds off in the comments below.

Hannah Camacho is an educator, mom to three wonderful children ages 4 and younger and proud wife of an Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. She has been a BlogHer featured tech blogger and is very involved in the world of mobile app marketing and PR when she’s not chasing her three busy little ones.