Online backup is the process of remotely backing up data and files, providing an alternative to physical backups. It offers the advantage of surviving disasters and being virtual, but can be costly and has potential risks if the company goes bankrupt. Managed backup providers offer various features at different prices.
Online backup, as the name suggests, is the process of backing up data and files remotely online. This is an alternative to physical backup close to the same place where the files are. Online backup services offer the user the ability to keep their data backups updated on a regular basis.
Computer users have many options when it comes to making copies of their data and files. Offline options include additional computer hard drives, external hard drives, CDs, DVDs, jump drives, and more. These all work well most of the time for backing up your files in case your computer crashes. The main problem with these types of backups is that they share the same physical location as the original files. In a disaster like fire or theft, for example, backups and originals have an equal chance of being destroyed or stolen.
If the data is stored remotely in a different location, however, it will survive. This is where online backup comes in handy. Another big plus is that online backup is virtual. The user does not have to worry about managing cables, labeling systems and cataloging physical media such as CDs. A person using an offsite backup system can also back up their data constantly and take advantage of modern encryption technologies.
Online data backup also has several disadvantages. One of the first that comes to mind is the cost. The average home computer user simply doesn’t have the ability to pay the hundreds or thousands of dollars a year it sometimes costs to back up several gigabytes of data. It makes more sense for larger businesses or corporations to leverage the use of online backup services. Another problem that could arise is if the online backup company goes bankrupt or changes hands. No one can say for sure what would happen to data that was backed up remotely.
Online backup companies are known as managed backup providers and there are many available. They offer many different features at a wide range of prices for offsite data storage. These features mainly concern how often and how data is backed up, data encryption, data compression, bandwidth, and how and when files can be accessed. Offsite data storage is another option, where the physical backups themselves are stored somewhere other than the location of the original files.
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