The thought of losing our files is often pushed to the back of our minds. It's so easy to save things to our Desktop and quickly access them, that we forget to save our files somewhere other than our machines. And for businesses, this is a real problem. 

If work documents are lost, this is likely to be more than a massive inconvenience. It could mean months of work gone in one fell swoop, customer databases gone and data records lost with little hope of getting them back. 

A business should have a solid backup software in place. The purpose is to create exact copies of files, databases or even entire computer desktops in case of disaster.

It is always advised to have backup software installed on your PC, and any employee's PCs to prevent this.

There are various backup software tools available that will help in saving copies of important business files or photos you may have, which can be saved to a separate hard drive or directly to the cloud.

Here are a few of the best backup software options available to help you keep all your business data secure.

Additional reporting by Christina Mercer

1. What kind of software does my business need?

Depending on what kind of data loss scenario you're looking to prevent, you'll need to choose between imaging backup or file backup. 

The distinction is simple: if you want to protect an entire PC, its OS, data and applications, totally restoring it, you'll need an imaging backup tool. 

However, if you just want simple file backup, then a run of the mill backup tool will work well here. 

Both backup practices work differently, with imaging requiring either an external hard drive or network location big enough to store everything. Imaging will secure the entire hard drive of your PCs, nothing is left out, so you'll need a lot of room.

File backups are much easier and are the prefered choice for lots of businesses, particularly small ones. It is also really easy for employees to do this themselves. 

Standard file backups require a lot less space and depending on what cloud software you use can be stored and easily accessed via cloud locations like Google Drive and OneDrive. 

Google's G Suite does negate the problem of file backups as it is all stored in the cloud and auto-saves. But for businesses using Microsoft and other office suites, the problem still continues. 

Don't worry though, there are a few tools out there that will make data backup a lot easier. 

2. Acronis True Image

Backblaze is the perfect example of file backup software. It is so simple to store your files but doesn't back up anything else, so if you're looking for OS and applications backup, you'll need to use another tool in conjunction. 

Based entirely in the cloud, this software will make copies of your files and store them in the cloud across Windows and Mac devices. 

Its business offering really is a steal at just $50 per year and is suitable for most organisations.

If you are a one man band business, this tool couldn't be simple, or cheaper. If you've lost your files, just simply login and download your files in a zip document for free. 

For $99 (£74) Backblaze will put your files on a USB drive, given that they don't exceed 128Gb. If they do, you can pay $189 (£142) for a 4TB hard drive. 

4. EaseUS Todo Backup

EaseUS Todo Backup Free is free backup software that can be used to back up individual files and folders, as well as a full system backup.

The main features include its efficient system backup and recovery options, which removes the need to reinstall an operating system or applications. Instead, users are able to backup data systems, a hard disk or individual files to a safe destination for disaster recovery.

With EaseUS Todo, users are also provided with an automatic backup option which delivers automatic backups to regularly used locations.

The free version does not provide cloud storage, however, users can backup to a CD/DVD, local hard drive or other safe locations. Alternatively, you can opt for the ‘Todo Backup Workstation’ which is the business service, available at £29.50 per workstation.

5. Paragon Backup & Recovery

Paragon Backup & Recovery is a simple and easy backup service that offers a complete and reliable backup by creating an exact copy of the user’s PC from OS to applications and all data.

The software also provides a scheduler, enabling users to schedule regular backup sessions that will run automatically.

One of Paragon’s main features is the fact that it also provides recovery alongside backup, meaning it can be used as a data management toolkit with the inclusion of CD or USB-based recovery system.

Paragon Backup & Recovery 16 is available as a free edition with all features included.

6. Google Backup & Sync

Google Backup & Sync is a cloud-based backup tool that is embedded in the well-known Google Drive.

The service, which was released in July 2017, provides a simple and speedy backup service for users to protect files and photos, replacing the traditional Google Photos desktop uploader and Drive for Mac/PC.

Google’s Backup & Sync is provided as an app for Mac and PC usage, and is used to backup user data to Google Drive and Photos.

Users are given 15GB of space free, with the ability to upgrade storage space from the app.

7. FBackup

FBackup is freeware backup software which provides backups in the cloud, allowing users to have their files and folders saved to their Google Drive or Dropbox account.

The software also includes backup scheduling, that provides the easy option of automatic scheduling of backups that are built in with the backup wizard.

FBackup offers free backup plugins, which means that a list will be provided of the sources needed to be backed up, making it easier for users to access and understand.

FBackup is the free version; alternatively, if you require more features such as encryption and FTP backups the Backup4all version is available at £38.