One of the most immediate concerns for all of my clients is their data backup plan. Despite my urgings, most don’t seem to have one. Even something as simple as putting a USB drive on a keychain and backing up their documents at the end of the day seems to be too much, that is until they lose important data. Viruses, computer crashes, and random equipment failure can catch you by surprise. Losses cost money and time and some data is simply irreplaceable. When it comes to backing up your data, it is important to be proactive. If you’d like it done automatically without your having to do anything, consider an online solution. There are several.
One online solution is called Mozy Online Backup For a home computer, Mozy will provide free online backup for up to 2GB. If you want more, the have an unlimited plan for less than $5 a month. If you run an office of multiple computers MozyPro offers a low cost plan that depends on the number of computers and amount of data (in GB) that you wish to backup. The costs are quite reasonable and once it’s set up, your backup can happen daily at a time of your choosing.
Carbonite is another noteworthy online solution. They offer a free trial so you can examine their services and affordable annual plans at no cost. During this free trial they don’t even ask you for a credit card number. Carbonite provides similar services to Mozy and is a direct competitor. Carbonite also allows you to view your data online and access it from any computer with an Internet connection.