Five of the Best Online Data Back-up Services
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Five of the Best Online Back-up Services
For Data Security and Recovery
Online Back-up services have proved to be an important and useful resource for both enterprises and individuals over the years. Backing-up your files to an offsite location gives you more space, increased safety, and acts as a crucial lifeline with respect to protecting your valuable data and information.
Backing-up your files is important not only to businesses, organizations, and professionals, but also to individuals. Many people store large amounts of information on their home computers, including important financial records, family photographs, music libraries and numerous personal documents.
Also remember that although some Email systems are entirely cloud-based (such as Gmail), there are other systems that may still use local saved files on your computer for storing important archives of old Emails (such as Outlook’s PST files).
There are many different reasons why you may need a back-up of your data. Your system may become infected by a virus or ransomware, you may suffer a hardware failure such as a hard-disk “crash”, or you may be the unfortunate recipient of a physical disaster, such as theft, flooding, or fire.
By having a readily available back-up of your files, you will be able to recover your information and resume your operations in a fast and efficient manner.
I always suggest that everyone has a cloud-based back-up solution in place for their home computers, laptops, and (of course) business systems.
Here is a list of five of the best and most highly recommended file Back-up services that are available today:
1. Backblaze
Any purchase you make is judged mostly on value for money. In this regard, Backblaze file back-up services offer one of the best values in terms of overall operative capacity.
Key Specifications:
1. One PC/Mac.
2. Unlimited storage space.
3. Offers back-up on external drives for better safety.
4. Does not offer back-ups on external devices.
In terms of ease of use and pocket friendliness, Backblaze is definitely an excellent choice. It also has a restore-mail feature and has some of the quickest upload speeds on the market today. The only key drawbacks are that it does not support mobile file back-up, and it is not built for multiple machines. Other than those issues, it is a cheap, safe, and effective back-up solution.
2. SpiderOak
Next on the list is one of the more sophisticated back-up services. SpiderOak deploys end-to-end encryption, which means that all your data and content is secured before it even leaves your computer. No one, not even the service provider, has access to the contents of your data.
Key Specifications:
1. 150GB, 400GB, 2TB and 5TB storage plans.
2. Point-in-Time recovery.
3. External Drive back-up.
4. Full Linux Support.
SpiderOak is more expensive than some of the other options, but if you are looking for a reliable file back-up service that secures your data efficiently, then a little higher cost shouldn’t necessarily discourage you. The amount you pay depends on the amount of storage you require, so if you have budgetary constraints then you can opt for a smaller capacity plan and only back-up what you truly need to recover in an emergency.
3. Degoo
If you’re in the market for a back-up service that offers a much relatively higher space capacity for lower costs, then Deego is a great option.
Key Specifications
1. 1000GB referral bonus.
2. File Storage period unspecified.
3. Enhanced Storage Replication.
4. Photo Storage maximizer.
5. Unlimited Mobile devices.
6. Unlimited desktop devices.
Degoo does, however, have a few drawbacks, namely a 75-day account login frequency restriction and no native back-up tool, which means that you must manually back-up files, which can be challenging for some people. But if you are able to work within these restrictions, it is a cheap and effective back-up solution worth considering.
4. IDrive
If your enterprise simultaneously operates multiple machines, then IDrive file back-up services is definitely one that you should consider. It has lightning fast upload speeds and facial recognition capabilities that make photo-tagging much simpler. If you also add in the fact that it can perform file-syncing and can run it on multiple mobile applications, then you have a very powerful back-up solution.
Key Specifications:
1. An unlimited number of devices.
2. External Drive Back-ups.
3. Mobile Device Back-ups.
4. Up to 5TB storage space.
5. Two-Factor Authentication.
6. Unlimited time factor on storage.
In many ways, IDrive can be considered as one of the best overall back-up solutions. This is all courtesy of storage costs that aren’t too expensive, its ease of use, fast upload speed, as well as compatibility with most devices. It is also quite handy because even your old key files can be stored for as long as you need, so that you can always access your most valuable data at any time.
5. Acronis True Image
Few online back-up services offer both mobile and social media back-up to the degree provided by Acronis. Although you may not have as many options with respect to storage space, this file back-up service offers great versatility and safety at very high levels.
Key Specifications:
1. Multiple device compatibility-Up to 5 computers.
2. External Drive back-ups.
3. Mobile Device back-ups.
4. 5TB storage limit.
Acronis True Image is feature rich, with ransomware protection, a bootable-file restoration system that is top notch, as well as syncing and sharing options. However, Acronis is one of the more expensive solutions, and the structure of its pricing can be a bit cumbersome. In addition, it does not offer back-up of your networked drives, which can be an issue for some environments.
Overall Verdict
A lot of factors go into evaluating the effectiveness of a file back-up service. Key elements such upload speeds and ease of restoration are crucial determining factors. The initial back-up may be performed only once, but if the capabilities on upload speeds are lacking, then it may take an extremely long time if you have huge files and hundreds of gigabytes of data. Other important factors are storage costs, types of devices supported, ease of installation, and computer-resource usage. Make sure to carefully compare your specific situation and needs to the capabilities of the solutions, and choose the one that offers the best balance of features, performance, and value.
Here are some handy eBooks to help you in your Email and Communication Skills:
