Throughout time, business people and individuals at home have proven that backing up data is on the short list of things that they'd be less likely to do than jump off a cliff. Despite knowing that their hard drives will crash someday -- notice that I said will, not might -- they put off the task, often because it is time consuming, they don't know how, or they simply don't like to do it.

But it's not as difficult as it seems -- especially when using the current crop of back-up drives to store your data.

Maxtor's OneTouch II external disk drive is made for simplicity. With a large data capacity, this drive can be set up to back up your system in a single touch of a button on the front panel. It connects to your system via your USB port, ready for immediate and frequent backups.

The ABS+ automated back-up system from CMS Products does the same thing for your laptop. Available in a variety of storage sizes, the ABS+ is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, making it easy to take on the road, wherever you take your laptop.

The first time you make a backup with either of these products, it will take you awhile, because it will be backing up your full system (although you don't need to baby-sit it). Subsequent backups will be much faster because you'll only back up the files that are new or changed.

Whether you want to save your important business data, those precious digital photos of your family, or your new digital music collection, a standalone back-up solution like these makes perfect sense.

Both products are available from various computer product retailers and on the Net. Street prices range from $160 to $300.