Top Online Backup Providers

Need

Today's era is an era of uncertainty. With increasing uncertainty, and the rapid digitization taking place, the individual and not just the corporate are going digital. Loads of critical information is regularly fed into the computers but who knows next moment the hard drive crashes or suddenly an earthquake hits the area. Here is where the role of online backup provider ropes in.

Scope

What is the last time when you clicked a picture with the camera with a roll? When is the last time you listened to your favourite music from a cassette in a tape recorder? The times have changed and so have we. Our mobile phones, desktops and laptops have changed the rules of the game.

At individual level, these devices are brimming with our personal information ranging from digital pictures, downloaded music, our favorite movie collection and what not!

At the corporate level, companies today operate in multiple units across multiple locations and the business processes and flows have purely become digital. A lot of information critical to the business is simply stored in the office desktops.

Usability

Thus, creating a back up for our important information becomes important. If the information is manageable, it can be done in a local hard disk but what if a natural disaster occurs and one loses both the device and the hard disk ?

Online service providers are a clear answer to the above asked questions. They create an online copy of our information stored at servers at multiple sites. Thus, the whole information is risked from location contingencies and can be accessed from any other computer over the world with a simple Internet connection!

Advantages

• Eliminate the need to maintain bulk CD's and other storage devices
• Quick Online Backups after short duration's
• Boon for employees with work from home options
• Risks of corruption on online storage is less when compared to easy wearing out of CD's
• Information can be retained for long time

Services Provided

Major Players

The major players operating under this category are

How to choose

Assess your needs

• Amount of storage space required : The plans and their prices vary on the plan depending upon the amount of storage space required. Certain providers even provide unlimited space with a discounted monthly or annual subscription.
• Mandatory and optional features : One must carefully evaluate the must-have features as per his individual requirements or the requirements of the company. Certain features come for free and others are priced at a premium.

Security and Reliability

• The provider should be reliable n careful handling of your critical data and should have good security encryption mechanisms for the safe transfer of your data.

User Friendliness

• Choose a provider which provides easy to understand user interface and tools.

Customer Support

• Stuck somewhere and do not know how to proceed further? A company representative should be accessible to you at every hour and location to guide you on the phone or over the web.

Latest Trends

• Virtualisation : Providing a virtualisation instance of the server from offsite backup.
• Application Online Backups: Integration with VM Ware, Hyper – V, Share Point etc.
• Online Backups to be aware of the hyper visor environment.
• Upgrading technologies to accommodate the adoption of cloud platforms.
• Imaging today is only at the level of back up appliance. Needs to be upgraded to online only backup solutions.

Disadvantages

• Data can be hacked if the security systems of the providers have loop holes.
• Any error in synchronisation may create confusion about the multiple versions of the file.
• Access becomes difficult if the internet connect is slow or not there at all in emergency.