More than half of consumers have stated that their personal data are more valuable than their actual devices, solidifying that they know they need to preserve their data, according to a recent survey.

The survey by Acronis, a leader in new generation data protection, said that more than 75 per cent of consumers store their data digitally. It also revealed how they value and protect the information located on their devices.

Its infographic has demonstrated the importance of backup and digital responsibility in an environment where every part of consumers’ lives is now taking a digital form, including financial and health documents, photos and work files.

The survey results showed that consumers would be nearly three times more upset if they lost their photos than if they lost their phone, computer or tablet.

Although they treasure their digital information, the survey revealed that consumers are putting little effort into ensuring their data is safe.

Less than half of the respondents do not save their data on an external device or in the cloud, which meant that more than 50 per cent of consumers store their data only on their computer – or not at all.

Of those using a data backup system, only one third are protecting their entire computer system, the rest are simply protecting some files.

Nearly half of the respondents value their data at over $1,000, proving that they certainly hold their information to a high standard. While only five per cent of consumers surveyed are willing to actually spend that amount to recover their data once it is lost, an overwhelming 94 per cent of respondents expressed that they are willing to spend up to $100 dollars to preventively backup their data.

Serguei Beloussov, chief executive officer, said: “The majority of consumers do not realize the importance of backing up their digital memories, including everything from precious photos to financial information, until a catastrophe occurs.

“What consumers should understand is that there are easy and inexpensive ways to safeguard the digital data that they’re most afraid of losing.” - TradeArabia News Service