Inbox Insider: Sidekick data loss shows need to back up e-mail data

The Sidekick data loss incident is prompting questions about how safe cloud-computed data really is. Earlier this week, users of T-Mobile Sidekick phones with the Danger Inc. service lost all of their contact and system data, which historically has been backed up in a cloud system.

Considering that these kinds of data losses happen, consumers and marketers alike need to take action and back up their online data. Gmail and Yahoo Mail offer a great way to backup mail content on their sites. In addition, the makers of a third-party tool called Handy Backup claim it can create a repository for consumer e-mail programs.

E-mail marketers should do the same thing. Over the past year, various e-mail service providers have debuted cloud computing e-mail marketing platforms. While this may offer convenience, marketers using these platforms should be sure to ask providers how to back up their data. Imagine building out an e-mail marketing campaign — or series of campaigns — for the holiday season, and then losing all of your work.

Now is the time to back up.