You're a senior CS person and you are asking if you should have a backup system in place? o_O
Sorry if this sounds like a personal attack but it's something you should have though of a long, long time ago, as a CS person. Even when still using Windows.
Assuming you are serious, then yes there are ways to save your data under Linux, with different levels of complexity and privacy.
The bare minimum is some basic cloud backup. Not ideal for privacy, but at least if your drive dies you won't lose your files.
Local backup in the form of a NAS or home server is also an option, and allows different systems (Windows, Mac, Linux) to save a copy of their files. Way better from a privacy perspective if setup properly BUT your are one fire or one burglary away from losing everything.
If you want to reconcile privacy AND safe storage then to me there are a few options :
End to end encrypted cloud storage if you trust the third party (Proton drive, Tresorit, etc)
End to end encrypted cloud storage that you control (requires very high skills and a lot of work and money. And a lot of maintenance)
Local network storage (NAS/homeserver) with an encrypted backup regularly sent to the cloud
Hybrid end-to-end encrypted cloud using a non encrypted cloud solution (like Google Drive) with Cryptomator or equivalent (if you trust them).
So many options, depending on your sensibility to privacy and your technical knowledge. You can also mix. For example most of my personal files are hosted on Microsoft OneCloud because it's stable and fast enough. I mean almost my entire home folder (excluding configuration) is replicated there. But some of the sensitive files, mostly scans of official documents like tax returns, healthcare receipts, etc, are end to end encrypted using Cryptomator. Also my passwords are saved in an shared encrypted Keepass database. And all my drives are encrypted (with LUKS) including my external drives.
Anybody who has dug that topic long enough knows that total privacy and total security are a myth. It simple doesn't exist. You need to find the balance between privacy, security and practicality that suits you. If you are paranoid, then getting to a reasonable level of all three is going to be a LOT of work and money. If you are just cautious, and are willing to trust reputable third parties, then it's quite possible to have a working solution without spending too much time and money. And the very bare minimum is to chose between a backup with little privacy, or more privacy with the acceptance that you may lose everything.