Backups are crucial. They also give you peace of mind knowing that your data will be safe.
The perfect backup should have the following elements:
Automated. Without automation, the backup is not reliable. The backup should perform on its own according to the pre-arranged schedule.
Offline. There should always be an offline copy of your data, as it is a protection against corruption and malice.
Offsite. Having just offline backups won’t protect you if your office catches fire or is damaged in another disaster. It won’t help you either if your hardware, computer (etc.) is stolen or involved in a malicious act. An offsite backup is stored in a different location to your computers and office.
Incremental. Allows you to go back to previous versions of any of your files.
Tested. Unless you test your backup, you can’t be sure that it is actually retrievable and that all the important data is there when you need it.