Why Use an Online Backup Service?

Most of us know why we need to backup our files; however, knowing why does not always lead to doing it on a regular basis. Online data backup services take the thought out of regular backups; they can back up your files automatically. They are also off-site, so if your home is burned down or flooded, or your laptop is stolen, you do not lose your files.

Here are few reasons for using an online backup service:

• No CD/DVD Burning- You can burn your family photos onto a disc and archive them that way, but it may take a long time to burn, can require many discs and if you store them in your home, they can be lost to the same force of nature that ruined your hard drive. The alternative would be to burn the discs and store them somewhere else, but this does not necessarily make them readily accessible. With an Online Backup Service your files and photos are available from anywhere at anytime.
• No External Drive- Though copying your files to an external drive is a great idea, especially for disk imaging, your files are not truly safe unless the external drives are stored somewhere else. The best practice would be to use disk imaging software with your external drive to create an exact copy of your hard drive that you store off site. Then use an Online Backup Service to backup and manage your files, such as Word files, emails, photos, music and so on.
• Online Backup Services are Easy to Use- Though you can use backup software to perform automatic backups to an external hard drive or to a partitioned part of your hard drive, it does not take it off site; you still have to physically move the external drive to keep it safe. An Online Backup Service does everything from backing up to syncing to storing your files off site; many will actually store your files on two sites, so your files are extra safe.
• No Technical Experience is Required- Though it is possible for you to compress and encrypt your files yourself and send them to a friend’s server at a different location, most of us don’t know how to do that or don’t want to bother. And really there is no need, when you can get unlimited automatic backup for less than five bucks per month.

So the only reasons to not have some sort of backup plan are if you really believe that your house will never catch on fire or be flooded, that your hard drive will never crash or that your laptop will never get lost or stolen. With overwhelming odds that something will happen to your hard drive, it is a good idea to look into a backup plan that works for you.

What to Look for in an Online Backup Service

There are a few things to think about when looking for an Online Backup Service. First you will want to think about how much memory you need. Some services offer different memory allotments and some offer unlimited. Keep in mind though that backing up large volumes of information over the Internet can take quite a long time the first transfer. The next thing you will want to think about is what kind of features you desire. Some offer not only basic backup features but also sharing tools and mobile accessibility.

Here is the criteria that TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Online Backup Services:

Backup Features
Backup features include things like automatic backups, incremental backups, archive ability and file managers. Online Backup Services should offer easy ways to set up automatic transfers and syncing and simple ways to restore and view stored files.

Remote/ Mobile/ Web Access
Online backup services offer a variety of remote type access, from the ability to sync to multiple computers to folder or album sharing. In addition, many are currently beginning to develop cell phone apps and syncing.

Security
Secure transfers and secure, private storage is paramount. We looked at the kind of encryption methods used for transfer and storage as well as whether they stored information on multiple servers.

Backup Space/ Price
We looked at how much a service charges for the amount of storage space offered. Though this is not critical, it can make a difference depending on the amount of storage desired.

Ease of Use
All of the best online backup services should be easy to use. Features ought to be easy to understand and they should make it simple to configure, transfer and restore files.

Help/Support
Online Backup Services should provide adequate support via telephone, email, chat and embedded or online help files.

If you are interested in an online data backup service that provides unlimited storage for a low price check out Mozy or ElephantDrive. If you want a service that provides mobile phone syncing see our #1 data backup service SugarSync.