Backup Service	Free Trial	Storage	Lowest $/Mo	Review
Carbonite	15 days	Unlimited	$4.92	Continuously backs up new data Carbonite Reviews
MyPC Backup	14 days	Unlimited	$4.95	Sync files between computers automatically MyPC Backup Reviews
Safecopy	Unlimited	3 GB	Free	Backup multiple computers with one account Safecopy Reviews
Acronis	30 days	250 GB	$4.95	Protect up to 5 PCs with the same account Acronis Reviews
Backblaze	15 days	Unlimited	$5	Unlimited backup space for one low fee Backblaze Reviews
Egnyte	15 days	Unlimited	$35	Backup and share business files Egnyte Reviews
Sugarsync	30 days	5 GB	Free	File sync and online backup for all your devices Sugarsync Reviews
Carbonite Business Premier	30 days	250 GB/500 GB	$19/$49	Automatic, continuous and encrypted. No per-computer or per-gigabyte fees Carbonite Business Premier Reviews
Mozy Pro	n/a	Unlimited	$3.95 + $0.50/GB	Manage multiple-users with an online console. Automatic or scheduled backups Mozy Pro Reviews
ICB	14 days	10 GB	$4.95	Automatically backs up all your important files ICB Reviews
SOS	14 days	5 GB	$9.95	Back up the whole house with one account SOS Reviews
RestartIT	n/a	varies	varies	Service focuses on time to recover lost data RestartIT Reviews
Carbonite Pro	30 days	20 GB	$10	Backup the whole office with one account Carbonite Pro Reviews
MyOtherDrive	Unlimited	2 GB	Free	Share photos, files, and documents with ease MyOtherDrive Reviews
Barracuda	n/a	100 GB	$50	Provides full local data backups with several options for offsite data replication. Barracuda Reviews
Intronis	30 days	5 GB	$24.95	Files are encrypted and compressed prior to upload Intronis Reviews
Mozy	Unlimited	2 GB	Free	More than 3 million customers Mozy Reviews
Storagepipe	no	?	$25	Integrated online backup and recovery solution Storagepipe Reviews
Crashplan	30 days	10 GB	$2.08	Backs up your files to multiple locations automatically Crashplan Reviews
VaultLogix	30 days	5 GB	$75	The preeminent enterprise data protection service VaultLogix Reviews
Acronis True Image	30 days	Unlimited	$49.99 (onetime)	Protect and recover all your files quickly in the event of any disaster. Acronis True Image Reviews
Constant Vault	30 days	Unlimited	$5.33	Backup all of your computers with one account Constant Vault Reviews
Cloudberry Lab	15 days	Unlimited	$0.15 per GB	Backup and restore program that uses Amazon S3 cloud storage Cloudberry Lab
Total Defense	30 days	10 GB	$49.99	Back up any data, any time, anywhere Total Defense Reviews

While the term “online backup” has become part of today’s vocabulary, the truth is that very few people actually know what they’re getting from online backup services. The basic idea behind it is that people would be able to store important files off-site securely. However, the service has manifested itself in countless different ways and with various payment schemes.

In this article, we’ll discuss how online backup works, its benefits, and disadvantages. At the end of it, you can hopefully decide if the service is for you and what type of offer you should take advantage of.

What is Online Backup?

This list of online backup services offers to store your files in a remote server. Access and retrieval is easy because as long as you have an internet connection, you can view, edit, and save the files wherever you are. The service is seen as an alternative to physical backup which takes up a lot of room and contributes to clutter. It can be difficult to organize these storage devices especially when you’re dealing with tons of business files or several years’ worth of documents.

It is important to note that online backup is different to cloud computing, although it is related to it. In online backup, you usually need to select a provider and install their application on your computer. This piece of software lets you select files that needs to be backed up; it can also automatically save the documents. At the same time that it’s saving your files, it’s encrypting and compressing the information as well. These files are immediately transferred to a remote location.

Why Should You Consider Online Backup?

The service became popular for a reason. Online backup offers important features that make life a lot easier for many computer users. For example, instead of having to save your documents at regular intervals to make sure it won’t be lost in case of an accident, the software does it for you. Data recovery is another crucial reason. If you need to access the original file before modification, it is easy to do so.

There are cost advantages associated with an online backup list as well. No capital outlay is required on your part to get access to state-of-the-art equipment. Depending on the provider you choose, the files might be secured in a modern facility with top-level support from programmers and other technical staff. It’s just a matter of downloading the software and the rest will be taken care of.

What are the Risks in Online Backup?

While the benefits associated with the service are undeniable, it is also important to remember that it has its limitations. As its name implies, the service relies on internet connections. So if your connection is slow or there are problems in your area, you would not be able to access the files.

Another factor most people are concerned about is the security of their data. Although many providers offer encryption, this fear is not easily dispelled. The truth is that there are more risks involved in giving your log-in details to another person than there is of someone actually being able to hack into encrypted systems.

Online Backup List of Features to Consider

When trying to decide which online backup service is going to best suit your needs, one of the best places to start is with a list of features to consider. By knowing which features you need, it can be much easier to create a short list of potential candidates. Here is a short online backup list of features to consider before deciding which service will be best for you.

1. The Archive
The archive should be one of the first things that you consider when looking at online backup features. The archive is essentially the backup itself. There are several abilities and functions that some online backup services offer while others don’t. Three of the most important things to make a special note of is versioning, syncing, and restoring data. Versioning is when your archive will store different versions of the same data. This is especially important if you are using an online backup service that backs up changes in real time. Syncing allows the online backup service to manage data from multiple sources simultaneously. Finally, you need to look at how you will restore your lost data from the archive. With online backup services, some will only allow you to access your backup data online while others will offer to send you a hard copy of all of your data.

2. Access
Another thing to consider when choosing a backup service is what type of access you have. Some online backup providers will only allow you to access your archive from your primary computer. Others will allow you to access it from anywhere that you have access to the Internet, including your mobile phone. This feature will be much more important to some people than others, depending on how often they use their primary computer.

3. Management Control
Management control is something that will make most people’s online backup list of features to consider, however it can be incredibly important. This is especially true if you are not tech savvy. Some people want to have a single, centralized management control set up whereas others do not. Along with looking at the user interface that you will be working with, you should also look at how well all of the other features are integrated into the management control area.

4. Security
It may seem obvious but you need to pay close attention to the level of security that will be protecting your data. This is especially true if multiple people can access your account for if you have the ability to share files with others. For example, if you can create sub-accounts for can send files directly from your online backup space, then you may want a higher level of encryption. This ensures that none of your data is lost or stolen when it is being copied or moved.

When creating your online backup list of features to consider, the three primary areas to focus on is convenience, security, and ease of use. One of the biggest problems that many people run into is that they forget to backup their data at regular intervals. As a solution to this problem, some online backup services now offer real-time syncing and data backup to make the entire process more convenient. Of course, you don’t want to allow everyone access to your personal data which makes security incredibly important. Finally, if the online backup services to difficult or confusing to use, then you will not be able to gain the maximum level of benefit. By focusing on convenience, security, and ease of use you can be sure that these types of problems don’t arise.