June is Backup Awareness Month and we are kicking things off with a review of the 2015 results from our annual Backup Awareness Survey. Since 2008, in preparation for Backup Awareness Month, Backblaze has tasked the folks at Harris Interactive to poll computer owners to determine how often they back up the data on their computer. Throughout the month of June, we’ll pass along insights we’ve gleaned from our 2015 survey as well as the things we’ve learned digging through eight years worth of data on the trends and demographics of data backup. Let’s start with the 2015 survey results.
2015 Backblaze Backup Awareness Survey
In 2015, there were 2,010 respondents, each of which owned at least one computer.
Question: How often do you back up all of the data on your computer?
Over the years we’ve focused on the percentage of people that have reported they are backing up their computers each day or more often. Typically this would be someone with an automated back up solution such a Backblaze, Time Machine, or a similar product or service. In the 2015 survey, that figure is 8%. This is less than last year and continues a downward trend from 2013 as seen in the table below.
| Computer Backup Frequency 2008-2015 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Daily | 6% | 6% | 8% | 6% | 10% | 10% | 9% | 8% |
| Weekly | 9% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Monthly | 13% | 12% | 14% | 14% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 19% |
| Yearly | 19% | 20% | 21% | 21% | 19% | 22% | 22% | 23% |
| Year Plus | 15% | 17% | 15% | 16% | 14% | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Never | 38% | 37% | 34% | 34% | 31% | 29% | 28% | 25% |
Definitions:
- Daily: once a day or more often.
- Weekly: two days to once a week.
- Monthly: eight days to once a month.
- Yearly: more than one month to once a year.
- Year Plus: more than a year, but at least once.
- Never: have never backed up their computer.
Here is the same data in graphical format to visualize trends over time. Fewer people are “Never” backing up their computer while both “Yearly” and “Monthly” backups have risen over the past eight years.
Good news, it looks like more people are backing up their computer at least once. Now only 25% of computer owners will lose all of their data when their computer crashes or it is lost or stolen. Stay tuned throughout the month for more facts and figures from our 2015 Backup Awareness Survey.
The surveys were conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Backblaze as follows: May 15-19, 2015 among 2,090 U.S. adults; June 2-4, 2014 among 2,037 U.S. adults; June 13–17, 2013 among 2,021 U.S. adults; May 31–June 4, 2012 among 2,209 U.S. adults; June 28–30, 2011 among 2,257 U.S. adults; June 3–7, 2010 among 2,071 US adults; May 13–14, 2009 among 2,185 U.S. adults; and May 27–29, 2008 among 2,761 U.S. adults. In all surveys, respondents consisted of US adult computer users (aged 18+), weighted to the U.S. adult population of computer users. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
