Theft, accidental deletion or a technological malfunction can cause you to lose documents, photos and other data stored on computers or mobile devices — unless you have a backup plan.
To perform a data storage backup, follow these steps:
- Check your computer to see if it has backup software that makes data copies.
- Store data on USB flash drives or external hard drives or online using cloud-based storage. (USPS employees are prohibited from storing Postal Service information on personal computers, devices, flash drives or external hard drives).
- Keep flash drives or external hard drives containing stored data someplace secure.
The Department of Homeland Security has more information about backing up personal computers and mobile devices.
The CyberSafe at USPS team also offers an online instructional guide with additional information about backing up your Postal Service computer or device.