As we have become much more reliant on computers, the amount of information that is stored digitally is becoming insurmountable. Even small businesses are finding that they have hundreds and thousands of gigabytes of digital data, ranging from artwork for marketing materials to sensitive financial information.
As a result, ensuring your data is regularly backed up and kept up to date is essential. While many companies may look to invest in external hard drives that they can carry with them at all times, others are turning towards secure online backup services to store their information.
Advantages of storing online
If you’re thinking about online data backup, there are a few advantages to online access versus storing your information onsite:
– Security – online data backup services store your information on secure servers offsite which means that you don’t have to worry about theft or accidentally misplacing a physical hard drive.
– Mobile access – many backup services offer mobile access to your information via apps. This means you can login from any device at anytime from anywhere, without needing to plug in a physical hard drive. Some services will also offer you the ability to forward links directly to your files to other users, eliminating concerns about file size and keeping your email clear.
– Minimize hardware failure and human error – according to press release from Carbonite, a popular data backup service, the top reasons for data loss in small businesses are hardware/software failure and accidental deletion. By storing your data online, you’re minimizing the likelihood of a single computer failure erasing all of your information.
What should I choose?
Pricing plans vary across service providers and they offer different benefits and inclusions such as mobile access or multiple backup versions. Meanwhile, you may also find that online data backup comes included with other contracts, such as with finance and computer leasing. If you are looking for a professional solution for your business, be sure to compare a number of products to determine a plan that fits your needs and budget.
What about the free services?
With the popularity of “cloud computing” many data transfer services offer free limited data storage online. For example, Dropbox allows users to access files such as photos and documents from multiple computers. Their basic product of up 2GB is free. Apple has also released its iCloud service for all of its mobile devices (iPad and iPhone) that utilise the new iOS 5. Other popular services include Yousendit for sending files of up to 50 MB for free.
How will you choose to store your data?
Sarah Paige writes about all things technology including new mobile devices, gadgets and computer leasing.
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