Hidden in Plain Site - Internet Backup

A Backup Article Contributed by Samwell

Why Use Internet Backup

You are probably wondering what possible reason you would have to choose internet backup as your backup system. Well, there are many reasons. First if you backup your important files to the internet, you will not need any additional software or hardware. If you have a connection to the internet, you are all set.

The internet has millions of terabytes of disk space available, and there are several sites you can find that will give you free space to do a backup. As far as that goes, if you have an internet page you can upload your backup files there, as long as you have enough space. I pay about six dollars a month for my web page and I get eight hundred Mb of space. Now, I am using 3% of that so it leaves me with a lot of free space to use for backup, and I still get to run my internet business there.

Basics of Internet Backup

The first thing you need to do is decide which site you want to use. Most sites offer a free trial, so it is a good idea to sign up for a few and see which offers you the service you want. Since the free trial usually lasts Thirty days and you should do a backup daily, or at least every other day, you should have plenty of time to make an informed decision.

Now free sites, though they do have size limitations, are usually large enough to accommodate the amount of files the average computer user, and even a small business will want to backup. The only thing about that is that if you are saving your business files, you are better off to find internet space as soon as possible rather than to trust nothing will happen to your sensitive files. Paid internet backup sites will have some sort of a backup plan in place for the files they store, and will probably have some sort of insurance for lost files.

So now you have made your decision as to which service you will use. Now you have to upload the files that are important and you want in your backup. Some internet backup services allow you to use Windows Explorer to simply drag and drop files into your internet backup folder. There are also some sites that have a file manager or on site FTP program to use to upload your files. As you can see from what I have described so far most sites for backup are very easy to use.

The reason for this is that they want you to use their service and if they make it too difficult, you will go elsewhere. As with any thing else, there is a lot of competition, and a lot of the sites are not too reliable and might not be there in a month or two. So make sure you are very satisfied. Ask questions, the most important being how long they have been in business. You thought I was going to say price didn't you?

That is the second most important question, because if it is inexpensive, that won't matter if they disappear when you need them.

A Few Last Words on Using Internet Backup

So now that you have an idea of what is involved with internet backup, let's go into a few more important questions that you should ask.

1. How easy is it to upload your files to the site for backup?

2. How many customers do they have, and find out if they are happy?

3. Do large companies use the service? This is important because, larger companies can, and do demand a high level of service.

4. What types of file backup do they use? How frequently?

5. How safe are your files from being accessed by someone who shouldn't see them? On this note you should have some form of encryption so that not everyone who looks at your files can steal them for their own use.

6. What protection do they offer you if your sensitive files are stolen, or lost?

You may have other questions, but these are the very basic questions you should ask anyone before you trust them with your sensitive files. So go out and hide your files in plain site, use cyber space to save them.