Despite all of our security measures, there is still one important piece missing: data backup. All of the security measures in the world cannot protect us from data loss. After all, computer parts eventually and often unexpectedly fail. Surely we have all experienced that unpleasant surprise on some level in our lives.
Yes, data loss can (and does) happen on a daily basis. It is inevitable. However, we can prepare for it and should not relegate data backup as the sole responsibility of our web hosting provider. Most good web hosts do regularly back up their servers, but they are not immune to catastrophic hardware failures. No, backups are our responsibility. Imagine how much better you will sleep at night knowing that your entire business is not at risk of literally disappearing overnight!
There are two major components of data backup involving WordPress: the database and the regular files on the server.