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» Maintenance and Backup
Summary: There's a new class of online storage available for free that can be used for remote backups. Should you use them? As part of a larger strategy, maybe.
I have mixed feelings. Like free email, free on-line backup concerns me if used improperly, and of course it's the definition of "improperly" that needs clarification. But I can't help but think, again, of the adage "You get what you pay for." • My objection to free email accounts is not with free email accounts themselves, but in relying on them for anything important. I've seen too many situations where people have irretrievably lost everything because their account was compromised, and they had no backup and no recourse. Free on-line backups are, in some way, the reverse situation. You're explicitly not putting all your eggs into a single basket. In fact, you're using the backup service as another basket! That all makes sense, and is, I think, a reasonable approach to backing up. In fact even with respect to email, I often recommend that people use a free email service as a backup to their primary. This is very similar. "The thing to look for with any service such as this are the customer support
options."
However it's not without risk. Here's the nightmare scenario:
How likely is all that? I don't know. But that's the risk you're running. With a free service, how likely is it that it'll actually be available when you need it? If it's anything like free email services, the answer will actually be "most of the time". And yet I still, regularly, hear from people who were on the other side of "most of the time" and as I said earlier, lost everything. The thing to look for with any service such as this are the customer support options. The for-pay options will typically have better customer support as part of their justification for taking your money on an ongoing basis. But even so, free or for-pay, it's your ability to get help in a time of crisis that will make all the difference. But for most folks it seems like it could be a reasonable part of an overall backup strategy. Just make sure it's not the only part of your backup strategy. Related:
• Recent Comments
I agree. If your data is important, then use a service that has technical support, and is a solid product. I use nBackup.com Posted by: Jerry at March 17, 2008 01:55 PMPost a comment on "Are free online backup services worth it?":
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