We’ll say it and say it until you do it: You should always back up the important files on your computer. It’s the most basic way to protect yourself from ransomware, computer crashes, and other data nightmares. Still, for a lot of people, that’s a big pain in the neck. So Google is about to make it dead simple to do with Google Drive.
Up to this point, Google Drive has just been cloud storage; any file you wanted on it had to stay in the Drive folder. But as the Verge points out, Google is making some fairly big changes, namely having Drive, which will be renamed “Backup And Sync,” monitor and backup any folder. That said, it’s not clear if you’ll be able to edit files on Drive, or whether you can quickly redownload your backups. Considering Google is recommending that only consumers use this for now, it’s likely not as robust as businesses might prefer. It’ll likely also count against your Google Drive space limit.
Still, it’s an easier tool to use that a lot of backup options, and it appears to offer a “set it and forget it” sensibility that’s useful if you just want your files protected without having to worry over them. For a lot of us, there isn’t much we need to back up that’s truly important; let’s face it, family pictures are far more important than the novel you haven’t touched since college. If Google can protect us from ourselves a bit more, that’ll be useful for everyone.
(via The Verge)