A Brief Overview of Online Data Backups
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Backing up your data online can be a simple, cheap and very effective way of ensuring its safety. As a secondary backup - a backup of the initial backup, if you will - it is easy to see the immediate advantages.
While this method of creating backups will not suit everyone and every application, it does provide some unique benefits over other methods (see our article Top 10 Advantages to Online Backups for more details):
- Free - (or at least very cheap)
- No additional equipment necessary - no need to purchase hard drives, tapes, CDs or DVDs.
- Off-site backup - data is stored safely and away from your main computer
- Online access - You can always access your data, no matter where you are
- No intervention required - Backups can take place at a pre-scheduled time every day without your intervention
- Easy to use - set it up and forget about it!
There are a few considerations to take account of before deciding to place your backups online see our article Top 10 Disadvantages to Online Backups for more details):
- Limited capacity - most free services are limited to only a few gigabytes of data. If you want more you’ll have to pay.
- Transfer Times - transferring a lot of data takes a long time. If you’ve got a lot of data then you will probably need a constant connection. If you are only online for a limited time during the day then you may have problems ensuring full backups are completed.
- Broadband Only - if you’re on a dial-up connection then you’ll need to find another way to backup. Sorry.
- Paranoia - The company providing the service will have your data on their systems. While they are very unlikely to be interested in what you are storing online, they will be able to. If you’re paranoid about what you’re backing up then using an online service isn’t for you.
- Discontinued Service - you need to consider the possibility of the service you are using discontinuing without warning. While this is fairly unlikely with a large, reputable company, it is still a possibility. You need to weigh up the situation carefully and consider the importance of what you’re backing up.
Once you’ve decided that online backups are right for you, you will need to choose a service. We hope to have reviews of the of the various services available on Perfect Backups. Until these are available, it is advisable to look online for reviews of the services and to look at the websites of these services before making a decision.
Setting up online backups
Normally you will have to load some software onto your computer before the backup process can start. At this point you will also need to decide which files you want to backup.
Carrying out online backups
Executing the backup process will be explained thoroughly on the website of the service you chose (if it isn’t, then choose another service). All are designed to be as simple as possible (although, as with anything, this is acheived with varying degrees of success). Perfect Backups hopes to include walkthrough tutorials for each of the major providers in due course.
