Labs

Online backup

If you're putting your own personal data online or backing up your business files, security is of paramount importance. By security, we mean two things. First, physical security: you need to know your data resides on protected servers in a safe place. Any good online backup service will store user files on locked and guarded premises with CCTV coverage. The data may also be mirrored across one or more servers or even one or more datacenters.

Second, we mean electronic security. Major backup services will use SSL or TLS encryption, and files will usually be encrypted either before or after transfer using a 256- to 448-bit Blowfish algorithm, or 256-bit AES. Neither system has yet been broken.

Some vendors also allow you to supply your own password, ensuring that even the people holding your data won't be able to access it.

Easy does it

Ease of use, convenience and efficiency are also important. Online backup services provide scheduled and/or automatic backups. In the first case, the service makes an initial backup then copies over any changed files in protected folders at a set time each day or week. In the latter case, any new or changed files are backed up within hours or even minutes of alteration.

Automatic services can be designed to run while your PC is idle, and some include a bandwidth throttle to limit the amount of bandwidth used. The initial backup is best run at night, when online traffic is at its lowest. The initial backup may be a pain, but you should only have to do it once - the speed of the restore is more important.

Some services also support a drag-and-drop mode, enabling you to back up or restore files just by dragging and dropping them as if with a networked drive. Others provide "versioning" or "snapshot" support, where multiple versions of a file are stored to protect against corruption or changes made by mistake. Finally, it's worth noting whether services can deal with open or locked files. For instance, you may need to back up your Outlook .pst file while the program is still running.

Different strokes

Online backup services come in both consumer and business or enterprise-level varieties, with the latter typically having better technical support (often 24-hour phone support), plus options to back up servers or SQL databases and request recovery files on hard disk or DVD. Obviously, such features will be most useful in the business arena, and if you're merely looking to store personal data, a more basic service will be easier to use and cheaper - or even free.