Sunday, January 22, 2012

What Are The Signs Of A Great Online Backup Service?

By Andre Goff


Of late, data backup is being done online. There are several online companies that offer relevant services. However, out of the various options available, how would you know that you are choosing well. What makes a good online data backup provider?

Factors that are crucial for such services include data protection software, recoverability, access, and speed. Such services should, therefore, be able to prevent any mix up of data or corruption. They should offer reasonably large storing space. Such storage space should be free from viruses and hacking threats.

Costs are important and so is reliability. Online backup providers should be able to store data in different formats because image files and music files do not have same formats as of now.

The services provided need to be compatible with any operating system in use, including those on mobile phones. Smart phones are used interchangeably with computers, so the backup needs to work with them too. All compatibility with various devices needs regular maintenance and upgrading to keep up to date and reliable. You want one that offers the latest systems and applications out there.

Storage usage limits need to be a bit flexible, with online backup providers offering a variety of storage options. The needs of businesses are quite different from the storage needs of an individual. Small businesses have different needs for storage and backup than large corporations.

Clients should be able to access the information stored with any such business whenever they need it and such access should not be restricted to specified timings. Clients should also be able to set permissions on every file or folder that is stored with the company, effectively letting some others access the information as well.

Ease of use is important. Backups need to be synchronized with mobile phones and tablets, along with other computers in a network, no matter where they are located. This can be achieved with an excellent retrieval system of files and folders, allowing across the board usage no matter what device is being used.

A provider offering cloud computing features is better than others. Most of these businesses safeguard the data stored with them by using complicated encrypting techniques. Automatic backup is another desirable feature from such businesses. The stored data should be accessible online, and so should the storage space. A status window is often present that indicates available storage space at any point of time.

With all the competition in this field, some providers offer additional services, such as toll free telephone support, or 24/7 online chat help. Support is essential for customers, especially those new to using these services. Other features that may be desirable and included are file managers, photo managers, and galleries. Also, schedulers, archives, and idle backups may be part of a package. While these features are not always essential, it is nice to have them if you desire to use them.

It may be noted that costs of these services vary as per the features offered by the business. Different people have different needs. Therefore, one size does not fit all. So it is better to identify the needs first and then look for providers who are able to meet those needs or most of them. Information about the features offered by these providers can be collected from reviews available online. These reviews can also be used to select the online data backup business that is most suitable for the business or individual.




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