Online Data Backup Services Key Questions To Consider

There are a number of factors to consider when selecting an Online Data Backup Service. Most individuals and owners of small companies today are learning, because of either a hard drive crash or a stolen computer, just how valuable that having an offsite data backup or Internet backup / web backup are.

Individuals are turning to online backup or online file backup sharing services more and more as their volume of information grows and is harder to manage. For individuals and Small to Medium sized businesses (SMB) it is still valuable to keep a local backup for speedy and quick recovery of data, but having it stored using an online backup or Internet backup makes it easy to retrieve as well.

As mentioned above, some of the factors to consider when selecting an Online Data Backup Service include:

* How much data do you expect to have in the initial backup?
* How long do you expect it will take to upload your initial backup? Depending on your Internet connection speed, it will take some time to upload your backup, perhaps days or weeks.
* The number of the versions of the files you expect to keep, so that you can recover older versions
* The type of data that you are backing up (is your data mostly text, spreadsheet files or are they images and binary data such as video and audio files? (Text files are more easily compressed and deduplicated than any changes in media files would be discovered).
* Is file and data encryption required before you upload your data, or after? Many of the larger Internet Backup services offer data encryption, either as your computer is uploading the files to the remote location, or once the data is located on their storage systems. The questions are; do you want to send encrypted data to the service (so they can’t see the data contents at all, or are you willing to upload your data un-encrypted (someone there could potentially see your data).
* How easy is it to restore files from the Online Data Backup Service?
* Do you have to backup any open files or will they all be closed when backing up (unlikely). Be sure the service you select can backup open files if this is a requirement.
* Are you backing up any database files, such as Oracle, SQL, Access or anything else? Pay special attention to how those files are backed up and restored / recovered.
* Is it important for you to be able to share files online with someone else? If so, how easy is it to do with each service you are considering? How large a file can you share? Are there any limitations?
* Do you have more than one computer or server to backup online? There may be additional fees to consider such as a license per PC to backup or by GB backed up.

No matter how you are considering using an Online Data Backup Service, they have become a game-changer in the way that both individuals and Small to Medium sized businesses look at backup today. Be sure to consider the points mentioned above when making your decision.