Editor’s Note: We recently put Drobo storage devices in the hands of the Photofocus writing team. We asked them to dig in and find little known features or benefits that really helped them in their workflow. If you’re thinking about getting a Drobo, you can Save $90 with the code HOLIDAYFOCUS and enter to win at www.drobo.com/photofocus.

Part of my job as a freelance professional is traveling to my clients . . . and I love it! Constantly on the move, I chose a MacBook Pro as my work machine partnered with a Drobo Mini for my working file storage. My primary archive is stored on a Mac Mini Server with a Drobo 5D. I can remotely log in to the server and access any of my files over the internet.

One of the benefits to choosing Drobo for my backup system is automatic email alerts for managing my hard drives. Any time theres an issue, Ill receive an email notification and hopefully prevent data loss.

Setting Up Alerts

Drobo Dashboard Email Alerts are very easy to set up. First, start by opening Drobo Dashboard.

On the left-hand column, choose Drobo Preferences.

On the bottom-right, find Drobo Dashboard Email Alerts. Put a check in the box and the email settings window will pop up.

Enter your email settings the same way you would if you use an email client (including email address and password) and click on Send Test Email to make sure everythings working.

Once you get the confirmation email, youre good to go. I can travel without worrying about my archive system. If a hard drive fails I can simply order a replacement drive and have my roommate replace it for me (yes it really is that easy to swap a drive). What steps are you taking to prevent data loss?