I have a few friends that I help out with computer related issues and the most common issue I seem to help them with is recovering lost information.
Here are a couple of items to consider when choosing a back up plan.
- How much data is absolutely crucial? Megabytes or Gigabytes?
- Back up to an HD (internal or external) or the Cloud?
- Is the backed up data encrypted?
- Is the back up scheduled?
- Does the back up work for both Mac and Windows platforms?
- Is there an app for your back up?
I use a product called Mozy. It meets all my needs.
If you only have a few Gig or less of crucial info to back up, there are a couple of free apps that you can download. You can get two Gigabyte free to use for ever.
If you have more than a few gig of data you want to back up, you can then decide if you want to upgrade to one of their paid plans. Like anything else, the more you want to back up, the more it will cost regardless of vendors. Mozy also offers business/enterprise solutions if you happen to need that functionality as well.
Here is some info directly from Mozy's site.
If you're looking to keep your online data safe and secure, Mozy is the right choice for you. Not only has the entire Mozy business completed a SOC 1 SSAE 16 Type 2 audit and received ISO 27001 certification, but Mozy's online backup product also uses rock solid file encryption to ensure your information is secure on your computer, during transit and in our data centers.
As soon as you select a file for backup, Mozy encrypts the file right on your laptop, desktop or server to giving you immediate protection with the same encryption standard used by the military (256-bit AES encryption.) Files are transferred to Mozy data centers through an SSL-encrypted tunnel, ensuring that your files are doubly encrypted during transit. This is the same technology used by banks to ensure safe delivery of information online.
With multiple data centers across the world, you can be sure that your data is stored in a remote location in the right place for you, ready to be restored if and when they're needed. Files at rest in the data center also reside in an encrypted state, meaning that your important information has never been safer. With a secondary copy of your data remotely stored and encrypted, you have complete protection in case anything happens to your computer or laptop.
Mozy customers also have the choice to let Mozy manage the encryption process for them (activating a 448-bit Blowfish encryption key) or you can manage your own key using military-grade 256-bit AES to secure your data during storage.
Regardless of how you choose to manage your information, Mozy has your back when it comes to encryption and security.
Give it a shot and try MozyHome for free. Once you get to their site you see a log in box, just below the log in box is a link. It will say "Don't have an account? Sign up now." Click on the "Sign up now" link to register for your free trial.
Speaking of free, try an Amazon Prime membership for free as well. Free two-day shipping on millions of items, unlimited instant streaming of 41,000+ movies and TV episodes, and over 350,000 Kindle titles to borrow for free. Not a bad deal!
