Everyone should back up their computers data on a regular basis, whether it’s a personal computer or a business computer. While backup with certain services such as Time Machine, Backup and Restore, or even Dropbox (free) can be helpful, they might not be secure enough. The best data backup services will copy your entire data over the web to remote servers in multiple, diverse locations, and never at the same physical facility. Each facility should be highly-secure and protected from all threats, from security breaches to weather hazards.
Another issue with most popular, free services like Dropbox is that they are simply places where you can “park” your data. They don’t automatically backup content and require that you manually upload everything yourself. Instead, look for a service that will either backup all of the data continuously, or at least at scheduled intervals.
Remember the days when you had to try and remember to save all of your important data and photos on floppy disks, DVDs, or a bunch of CDs? And if your computer died unexpectedly, there really wasn’t any hope for retrieving stuff on the hard drive? Well, that’s no longer the case thanks to advances in cloud technology and data backup services. You also don’t have to worry about keeping track of DVDs or CDs and what is on each one.
Data Backup Services on External Drives
Some services even allow you to have a large flash drive or external drive shipped to you anywhere in the world if your laptop is ever lost, stolen, or broken. You can also access files on tablets and smartphones. Any or all of your data will always be available for you to access no matter where you at, or how you want to access it.
Before choosing a data backup service, check its security and privacy policy. Make sure your data really will be stored at secure datacenters in diverse locations, each with a 24-hour staff, redundant power, and biometric security. Two-factor authentication should be enabled before anyone is allowed to access your data. A 6 digit code, for instance, could be sent to your phone during sign-in for an additional layer of protection.
Lastly, keep in mind that Java is responsible for over 90% of security attacks, so only use backup services that do not use Java.
Which data backup services are the best? Backblaze is always a good option. It doesn’t use Java, and is available to try for free. There are different pricing tiers depending on if you want to use it for personal or business computer(s) and mobile devices. Backups can be automatic or scheduled.