Ladies and gentlemen of the Internet era, please pay attention to the following post. You need to backup. Backing up is one of those things that it’s easy to think, “Eh, it’ll never happen to me,” or, “That’s just one more thing to worry about,” or even, “But that costs more money!” Alas, if it happens to you—if your beloved computer crashes and you lose everything, or just that one super important document you were working on at that exact moment—you’ll never, ever question the wisdom of backing up again.

If you’re not convinced, ask around. A brief and completely unscientific survey of just five or ten computer users you know is sure to reveal at least one catastrophe that could have been prevented with an effective backup.

Presuming you are now sold on the necessity of backing up, let’s proceed to types of backup. The two main options are “hard” and “virtual.” Both will require some investment, whether initial or long term. Both will require a bit of time in which your system will run a bit more slowly or clumsily while the backup is proceeding, but both are good options.

A hard backup refers to hardware that is utilized to backup your data—whether through cds, dvds, an external hard drive, or even another computer altogether. It’s a backup that you can lay your eyes on and hold close to your heart.

A virtual backup, on the other hand, is one in which your data is stored elsewhere—more specifically, online. Out of sight, but not out of mind.

Both types of backup have advantages and disadvantages. Let’s compare and contrast, shall we? Hard backups require an initial investment in the equipment—the blank cds, dvds, the external hard drive–, whereas virtual backups often have a free trial period so you can test it out and see if you like it. After the trial period or storage limit is reached, you’ll have to continue investing on a regular basis to continue your backup storage and protection.

Both backups offer peace of mind that your precious photos, docs, and iTunes purchases will be available elsewhere, should the ultimate tragedy befall your primary computer. Hard backups offer a tangible and portable sense of security. Sleep with your pretty pink external hard drive under your pillow—I won’t tell. Virtual hard drives, though you can’t snuggle with them at night, offer accessibility even when you’re away from your primary computer. No more regrets about hanging out at your best bud’s, wishing you had access to your cheat codes—just log on to their PC, open a browser, log into your virtual account and voila!

If this post can help prevent just one backup tragedy, I’ve done my job.