Issue 2.11
If you have read this column for any length of time, you know how much emphasis I place on having a reliable backup of any important data (pictures, histories, etc.) While it is helpful and advisable to back up your files on an external hard drive (or flash drive or CD/DVD), that doesn’t actually cover you in the case of fire or other disaster. Additionally, when backups are not done automatically we tend to forget to do them for long periods of time. As great as computers are, they eventually fail and, if that failure is the hard drive where your files are stored, it will be difficult, extremely expensive and perhaps impossible to recover what has been lost.
This has given rise to what is called “cloud storage”. The cloud is an ephemeral term for using the vast interconnection of computers worldwide to store and retrieve data and even programs. While that is a great topic for another day, suffice it to say that you can give permission for other computers to access and copy the files you choose from your computer and, in turn, give you access to that storage if and when you need it.
Two companies that have made a business out of this capability are Carbonite and Mozy. Each of them costs about five dollars a month and they both do regular backups of your specified files. If you ever have a data loss or ever unintentionally delete something, you can retrieve it by going to your account and asking it to download the missing information to your computer. These backups occur at least daily so you can be reasonably sure that what you need will be there. They also keep files you have deleted from your computer in their storage system for about a month so you have time to go back and get it. For safety and to protect privacy, your files are encrypted so no one can look at them but you.
I have used both of these for over a year and find them easy and useful. Carbonite is better known and has the capability of accessing your data from a smart phone or even an I-Pod. Mozy has the advantage of backing up your external hard drives (which is where I store a lot of important long-term data). At last check, Carbonite doesn’t do that. Additionally, companies like Dell, Kingston, HP and others offer small backup services with purchase of their products. For example, Dell allows you 2 Gigabytes of storage with purchase of many of their computers. While that is not a lot, it can hold a lot of documents and quite a few pictures and it is better than nothing. Right now my Mozy account is storing 1.7 terrabytes (1700 Gigabytes) of my information so that is a better option for me.
One thing you need to remember is that the initial setup only includes the basic data files such as documents from your user’s data files. In both cases, if you want other things included in your backup, you must specify which drives, files and folders you want. Carbonite does make this a little easier because each folder included in their backup is indicated by a colored dot next to the icon. If the backup is current, the dot is green. If there are still files that need to be backed up, it is yellow/orange.
This idea is a wonderful one and would make a great Christmas gift. While these systems have helped me out a couple of times with lost files, the more important thing for me is the peace of mind knowing that I can retrieve the most important files if anything drastic happens. That’s worth a lot to me. So, as I always say – stay safe – and make sure you have a backup of anything important.
Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 29 years (locally with Musicomp & Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions, you can reach him at 668-7118.