Guide to Choosing Online Data Backup Service
Backup is just a copy of data stored in some other media including disk or tape drive. This stored data can to used to prevent from loss or stolen of data. An online backup is also one of the types of data backup but here you find software that will be used to store all your computer data to remote computer. The process of data backup is carried out over the secure network. There are a number of backup services available and each service provider provides a different set of services in online backup. While reading some white paper on online data backup I find out some useful features that you can look, while choosing your online backup service
Accessibility: Accessing data stored on your online backup service provider requires client software or you can access data from service provider’s website. Choosing accessibility feature depends upon the type of user you are, if you are a mobile user then choose a provider that will provide you a website to access data. For home users client software is better choice.
Multi Computer: Most online backup services follow the concept of one account for one computer backup. There are only few services that allow users to take backups of multiple computers using only one account. Multi computer backup option is very useful for taking backup of data regardless from where the data is coming.
Permanent Storage: Some online backup services offering unlimited amount of space for data backup but they will remove the old data. Most of the time they only preserve their data for 30 days (different for different service providers). So before selecting the online data backup services check the storage length.
Real Time Backup: Whether the backup services takes backup in real time or it will take backup after 12 or 24 hours. This means as soon as user creates or modifies the file, that file is added to backup.
Automatic Backup: After configuring the backup drives, folder or files backup service must start when your computer start and tack backup in background without consuming too much of system resources. You can also backup any file without affecting the ongoing backup process.
Sharing: Online backup can also be seen as online file storage services. Online backup must behave like your online hard drive so you can easily share data without any concern on file size. Some online backup services imposed limit on shared file size whether some won’t.
Performance: Online backup service must consume very less system resources. Running an online backup can’t slow down your computer system otherwise it won’t be any useful for users.
Search: Users can easily and effectively search files on their online backup service. If you can get semantic search then it’s very good, it will help you run search queries on documents as well for finding better results.
Scalable: User can increase or decrease available size for the backup. All most all backup services are scalable.
Versioning: System must be such that it will track all the changes on files on particular period of time. Versioning will help users to restore the old file that may be overwritten or accidently deleted.
Archiving: Some online backup services deleted backup if some new backups are added. This should not be there; system won’t delete any data without the permission of user.
Security: All most all data backup services encrypt data and then send over the network. Only few them all encrypt and then save on the server. So two way data encryption is better as compared to only encrypt data for sending over the network.
Customer Support: Customer support is very important casual users. Check what of customer support you are getting. Are you only getting email, phone or both type of support?
Supported Platform: Most of the online backup services support windows, Linux or both. If you use different operating system platform for different task then this option is also very important. There are only few services that support Mac operating system for online backup
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Good solid advice! I use Mozy, which gives you 2GB for free. This is all I need as I only backup my most important documents.
I also use Gmail, two thumb drives, an external drive, and I periodically send CDs home. Why? Because I would hate to lose a project that took 20 hours… and I wont take chances. I much prefer spending 20 mins a week running some manual backups (most are automated) than spending the same time doing work I’ve already done.
This is an important subject and I appreciate you telling others about the options you have.
Rich
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