Personal Online Backup Top Picks
 Mozy is a simple and safe way to back up all the stuff on your computer. Unlimited storage for $4.95 per month. |
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Business Online Backup Top Picks
 Egnyte is the only solution your business needs for storing company data, sharing files easily, and backing up computers. Save 10% with an Egnyte promotion code. |
 Intronis allows you to save unlimited file revisions. 256 bit encryption. Redundant file storage. Files are compressed prior to upload, which allows more storage for the same price. |
Current statistics show that one in every ten hard drives fail each year. The cost of recovering a failed hard drive can exceed $7,500, and success is never guaranteed.
Remote Online Backup
There are two types of data backups, offline backup and online backup. An offline backup, also known as a "cold" backup, is a backup that is taken while the database is shut down. It includes all database files, a copy of the current control file, and all online redo log files. An online backup, also known as a "hot" backup, is a backup that is taken while the database is operating. It includes copies of all database files, a backup of the current control file, and all redo log files written during the period of the backup from the online archives. (When online backup is used for media recovery all offline redo log files written during the backup, as well as all offline redo log files archived from the time the backup ended until the time the recovery began, must be applied.) It is important to remember that an online backup does not include online redo log files.
Why Should You Use Remote Online Backup?
Online backup has many advantages and if you haven't tried yet, you should do it. Online backup requires a fast Internet connection but since nowadays broadband access is becoming the norm, chances are that your connection is fast enough to accommodate all the traffic between the online backup server and your computer. In any case, if your broadband connection is still your bottleneck, you can resort to backing up only the most important 1-2GB of files (rather than your whole 500GB+ hard drive) and still enjoy the numerous benefits of online backups. Here are some good reasons why you should use online backup:
- With online backup your files are always accessible. File accessibility is one of the unbeatable advantages of online backup. When you store your backups locally (on your hard drive or in a drawer next to your desk), you can't access them remotely. Online backup is another story – you can access your files remotely from any place, where an Internet connection is available.
- Remote online backup provides protection against hardware/software failures, theft and natural disasters. The second most important advantage of online backups is that your backups are physically safe. When you make a backup and you keep it on the same hard drive, this does not provide any protection because if your hardware and/or software becomes defunct, your backup dies together with your original data.
A step ahead is to keep your backups on CDs, DVDs or tapes instead on your hard drive but in case of theft or natural disasters, this provides no protection at all. There are many stories (for instance the disaster that happened to Mr. Coppola) when thieves or natural disasters deprive you of your backup and you lose the last copy of important documents.
While there is never a 100% guarantee that this will not happen with your online backup, the fact that online backup service providers employ rigorous practices to physically guard your backup (including a backup of the backup), the chance that your backup will be physically destroyed is one in a million. - Remote online backup is more reliable than CDs, DVDs, tapes and other traditional backup media. Keeping your backup on CDs, DVDs and tapes is still more than nothing but compared to online backup it is a poor man's choice. Even if you don't get robbed, or hit by a fire, earthquake, hurricane and other natural disasters, CDs and DVDs are very easily destroyed. It is enough to scratch the surface or to drop it on the floor, and a CD/DVD is gone forever, together with your important data.
- Best Practices recommend data vaulting. Online backups are important for individuals but for businesses they can be vital. There are many Best Practices, which strongly recommend to make periodic backups and to store them in a physically protected space. In some cases you might not even have to decide whether your company should use data vaulting (this is the technical term for online or remote backups) because company regulations dictate you to do it.
- Online backup can provide real-time protection. Maybe you are not a bank or another institution for which real-time data protection is a must but in any case, the more recent your latest backup, the better. Many online backup providers offer real-time backup protection at no additional charge, so you should seriously consider using it.
- Remote online backup is secure. Probably one of the fears many people have in regards to online backup is that their data is exposed to risks when not under their control. Usually such fears have no grounds (unless you choose a really amateurish online backup service provider). On the contrary, online backups are very secure because they include traffic encryption and password protection of the stored file and in many cases secure file sharing (i.e. you can choose whom to share your backups with).
- Remote online backup is easy to use. Last but not least, comes ease of use. Most online backup services require just basic computer literacy in order to use them. Additionally, compared to onsite backups, there is less hassle when you have to restore the contents of the backup.
