How to keep your genealogy research safe

Preserving your family history research for the future is a daunting task. Technology is changing at the rate of knots, floppy discs are a thing of the past and even computers are being abandoned in favour of tablets and smartphones.

Storing your research in a future-proof format is the answer, but where do you start? Well, never fear because IT professional and self-proclaimed family history-addict Barbara J Starmans gives you the digital know-how in the August issue of Family Tree for the best ways to keep your genealogy research safe from the elements, flood or electrical fire, and preserved for future generations to access and enjoy.

Barbara recommends you save digital copies of your family history research in lots of different places to ensure you always have a backup. She talks us through the options in layman’s terms, from local hardware (such as CDs and external hard drives) to home servers, software and storage ‘in the cloud’.

Don’t miss Barbara’s excellent tips to keep your precious research safe for years to come.

You can follow Barbara @BJStarmans on Twitter along with Family Tree @familytreemaguk

Top 3 check list:

1 Store your data on CDs and DVDs by all means but backup elsewhere, as discs do deteriorate over time.

2 Use your computer’s inbuilt software to create a backup that runs automatically every night.

3 Consider companies offering online backup facilities and file storage, such as Dropbox and Google, in case there’s a disaster at home and your precious data is lost.

Read the full story in the August issue of Family Tree, out now in WH Smiths, leading supermarkets and all good newsagents, or you can download our latest issue as a digital edition right now – visit www.pocketmags.com, the App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore. Single issues, back issues and subscriptions are available for PC, Mac, eReaders, smartphones and tablets. A free sample is also available for all devices.

Or grab the chance to get 6 family history-packed print issues for just £19 with our fantastic August subscription offer.