Reasons to Use an Online Backup Solution

An online data backup solution is an excellent way to protect your valuable data. Online backup solutions are safe and secure ensuring your data will never be compromised and it will always be available when it is needed. Online solutions eliminate the need to purchase new hardware and are often cheaper in the end. Most people do not foresee the need for a backup solution until it is too late. Too many things can happen in the computing environment that could make you wish you had a solid backup of all of your data stored in a safe secure place.

Entire computer systems and all of the peripherals including external hard drives have been wiped out with a single lightning strike or power surge. What happens to your data when that happens is a very unforeseeable event but your data is lost just the same. A UPS or Surge Suppressor could help diffuse the power surge but what if it doesn't?

An online backup solution eliminates the need to buy and maintain external hard drives or tape drives. Depending on the amount of data you need to back up, an online backup situation may not be a viable alternative but for the majority of individuals and businesses alike, the solution is perfect. There are many reasons you may be glad you had your data backed up with an online backup solution.

Computers Crash

That is probably the number one reason to have your data backed up. Many things can happen to make a computer crash and lose all of your data along with the crash. Hard drives are only hardware and hardware does not last forever. You could try to boot up your computer one day and get a multitude of error messages saying your drive is no longer available. If you are a Windows user, you have probably experienced some sort of a crash. Windows has come a long ways but it can still become unstable enough to lose your data rather quickly.

Online Backup Solutions are Safe and Secure

The safety and security of your data is a very important issue. There was a time in the Internet age where the security of your data traveling over the Internet was questionable to say the least. A good online backup solution will encrypt your data before and while it travels through cyber space. Mozy is a good example of a secure backup solution. They secure your data with 448-bit Blowfish encryption with 128-bit SSL support to keep your data safe during transport. It doesn't get much more secure than that! Read More about Online Backup Security.

Automatic Backup

An online backup solution usually gives you a choice of a full or incremental backup of your data. For the first backup, you would want to do a full backup of all of your important files. Thereafter, you would choose to do an incremental backup so every time your data is changed, the software will automatically back it up at a time you specify.

Disaster Strikes

Depending on where you live, there is always the chance for some sort of natural disaster like flooding, hurricanes or tornadoes. When disaster occurs you probably wouldn't have time to grab your computer and bring it to safety you will be thinking of saving yourself and your family. With an online backup solution in place, you know your data is secure somewhere a long ways away from the disaster so you can recover it at a later time. Even a not so natural disaster such as a fire would completely destroy everything stored on your computer and external drives. If you have really important data or sentimental pictures that you don't want to lose, you should seriously consider backing up those files online to keep them safe and secure.

Here are some Recommended Online Backup Solutions:

Acronis Online Backup	Acronis Online Backup has been released featuring 250 Gigabytes of secure storage space for up to five computers.  Acronis has long been a leader in data backup and recovery solutions and the addition of cloud backup capabilities, they have taken a huge step in keeping your data even more safe and secure.  See our Review of Acronis Online Backup. The online backup solution can either be integrated with Acronis True Image 2010 or used as a standalone program.  Keep your data safe with the Acronis Online Backup Solution. Save 10% with Acronis Online Backup Coupon Code: COOLAOB2010 $49.95
SugarSync Online Backup and Sharing	SugarSync takes the online backup solution to a new level.  SugarSync is the only cloud backup solution that allows you to backup, sync and share files across an unlimited number of computers. That means you can access, edit and share any of your files from any PC – and whatever changes you make will automatically replicate across all your computers. You can store documents, photos, music, video files – and once you are synced, you can access them from any web browser or smart phone. You can even share photo albums and stream entire music collections directly from the Internet. See our Review of the SugarSync Online Backup Solution. SugarSync is also available for business users to take advantage of the many file sharing, backup and collaboration tools available to keep productivity at a maximum and data loss to a minimum.  Read more about the SugarSync Business Solution.
Keepit Online Backup	Keepit is an online backup solution that is simple to use, automatic and secure.  Keepit automatically backs up your default folders every day and you can choose which files or folders to backup.  Your files are securely encrypted before they leave your computer so nobody else will ever see what you are backing up online.  You files are safe with Keepit.  There are two different storage facilities to ensure redundancy so your files can never be lost or destroyed. See our review of the Keepit Online Backup Solution. Get 10% off of you Keepit purchase when you use the following Coupon Code: Code: whatsabyte
ElephantDrive Online Backup	ElephantDrive is an online backup, storage and sharing solution dedicated to keep your data safe, secure and accessible from anywhere in the world. Home users get unlimited online storage for your photos, music, video, documents, and all other valuable files you may have accumulated on your hard drive. The business edition ensures that your entire team is backed up and can and access files even if they are on the other side of the world. ElephantDrive is committed to providing individuals and businesses simple but powerful tools for protecting and accessing data.  More Information about ElephantDrive.
Norton Online Backup Solution	The Symantec name is a trusted one.  Now you can trust Symantec with your files with the Norton Online Backup Solution.  Symantec is known for data protection and computer security.  These features are bundled into their online backup and storage solution.  Your files are stored at multiple locations for an added level of data protection and the transferred files are encrypted with government class encryption techniques.  Read more about the Norton Online Backup Solution.
Mozy Online Backup	Mozy is an easy to use, smart, and economical way to protect your data. All you have to do is install it on your computer, set it up, and then never worry about data loss again. Mozy is effortless to set up and performs backups automatically in the background. Mozy encrypts all files on your computer before data transfer and backs up open and locked files. See our Full Review of the Mozy Online Backup Solution.