Backing up data has been a top priority for IT professionals since computers were first used to store data. It is considered part of the cost of owning and operating a business computer system. As we are all aware, advances in computing technology have made computers faster and cheaper by orders of magnitude over the years. Home computers are as common as microwave ovens and televisions. A few years ago, home computers were mostly used to store letters, spreadsheets and documents. Now they store everything from photos, music and video, to email and bills. In effect these home computers are becoming just as important to us as our telephones and automobiles. Since most people use and maintain their computers without professional IT help, the concept of backing up files has slipped from being a top priority to some annoying task that we think about occasionally, but rarely do. Many consumers never think of backing up data, much less actually backup their data.
The methods and choices for backing up data haven't improved as fast as the speed and proliferation of computers. Tape backup systems are still the most common choice for large IT operations. Although expensive, they can backup large amounts of data onto portable media that can be moved to secure off-site locations. Home computer users and small businesses have traditionally used less expensive tape devices. However, programs that backup data to CD and DVDs are more popular now.
Data backup and recovery programs that use any kind of removable media all require manual effort to keep them working effectively. Most of them have some type of scheduling mechanism, but you have to change the media daily to get good reliable backups. Furthermore, the media should be moved to a secure off-site location if you want to protect your data from a more serious event, such as a fire or natural disaster. Businesses pay hundreds of dollars per month to have backup media moved to off-site storage locations.
In the last few years online backup systems have gained in popularity. Online backup has become an extremely effective option for backing up important computer files and data for home and small business users. High speed Cable and DSL Internet connections are now common in homes, and small offices allowing relatively large amounts of data to move quickly and reliably. Online backup service providers are offering secure storage systems to store your data at reasonable costs. Online backup systems provide two huge advantages over other backup solutions:
- Online backups can run automatically without any intervention at all; no media needs to be changed. The fact that online backups require no action by the computer owner or user, often makes the difference between backing up data and not backing up data. If you have to remember to change the media, chances are the media will not get changed as often as it should and the backups will not get done.
- Online backup data is stored in a secure off-site location without any additional effort. Moving data off-site is something that home computer users rarely do. Most tape and CD backups end up being stored in the same room with the computer, and very often in the desk that the computer is on or under.
The actual cost of using online backup systems vary. Most of them provide services to businesses and charge a fee that supports the technology to backup business servers and databases. A few are designed to provide services to home users. Rhinoback is one of the best values because it provides the same professional storage systems and redundancy that are found in the more expensive business services at a low cost for consumers. Most of the online backup services that are designed for home use provide a better value than any solution that involves copying data to removable media for the two reasons listed above. There are several other advantages that home and small businesses realize by using online backup systems; such as the automatic cataloging of all backed-up files and the ease of finding and restoring the files.
The biggest value of using online backups is the fact that your data will actually be backed up and available when you need it. This fact alone makes online backup a better deal than other solutions, even free solutons. A backup solution is worthless if your files are not backed up and available for you to restore.
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