Best Online Backup Service
Summary: So much of our lives are stored in the folders of our computers, and in the blink of an eye, it can all be gone.
Physical damage to our systems, theft, and viruses can result in the devastating and permanent loss of our personal files and photos.
With an online backup service, you can protect yourself from permanently losing this irreplaceable data.
Just sign up for an account, and begin automatically backing up everything in your system to a remote location, so it’s never truly lost.
For the most secure and affordable backup service, get iDrive now.
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Why Are My Files at Risk?
Gone are the days of photo albums and file cabinets – are lives are on our hard drives now.
As printing costs continue to outweigh data storage costs, most people never even bother with obtaining actual hard copies of their files and photographs.
The problem with that is, it’s putting an enormous amount of faith in a tiny plastic box to protect your most precious personal information.
Malicious software can infiltrate your system, criminals can swipe your phone, and your cat can knock a glass of water onto your laptop.
It may not have happened yet, but rest assured, it happens all the time.
The simplest way to make sure you never lose anything for good is by using an online backup service to keep secure copies of everything you have stored remotely.
How Does Online Backup Work?
Online backup services have come a long way, and are largely automated now. Basically, you just find a plan you like, get signed up, and download the software that’s compatible with your system.
From there, most programs will begin backing up your system automatically, though you can often also specify folders instead.
All of your files are essentially copied and uploaded to the company’s servers, and secured with top notch encryption to protect you in case they fall into the wrong hands.
If the original files ever get compromised, you can simply login to your account and download them back to your system – no harm done.
Top 3 Online Backup Services
With more and more people waking up to the risk of having their files only stored in one place, online backup services have become extremely prevalent.
With tons of technical jargon and options to choose from, I’ve made it easy for you here, with a list of the top three online backup services on the web and what they have to offer.
#1 Choice: iDrive – 9/10 – The most comprehensive backup service you’ll find
When it comes to protecting your files and photos, iDrive has the absolute most features for the best price, no question.
Their software is compatible with every major operating system, and their mobile apps allow you to sync and access your files anytime, anywhere.
You can even backup your entire mobile devices – including photos, videos, contact, apps, and more – for no additional fees.
iDrive gives their customer one terabyte of storage space (that’s 1,000 GB!) with their most basic service plan.
This is more than enough space, considering the average user has less than 300 GB of files and programs on their computer.
Plus, with their service plan, you can also back up your external hard drives, to reinforce the security of those files.
Features like file versioning and file recovery allow users to recover previous versions of modified files, and files deleted from their online storage, respectively.
In addition, iDrive goes above and beyond with a file sharing tool, automatic continuous backups (with the option to schedule), and a free trial with no time limit that lets you try out their service.
You’ll also get access to their amazing customer support team, available via live chat, e-mail, and by phone.
With iDrive, you get top-rated security that will keep your files safe no matter what.
Their geo-redundant storage protects your files even in the event of a physical disaster, with multiple data centers to protect your files from being lost forever.
Plus, with the option to create a private encryption key, you can keep your files from being viewed even by them.
Add in a sweet remote wipe feature to protect your files in the event of device theft, and you’ve got a security system for storing your files that just can’t be beat.
Even with all of these features, iDrive has an amazing price tag on it – about $44 for an entire year of service with all of these features.
There’s no question, iDrive is the absolute best option for storing your files safely and securely, and at a price that just can’t be beat.
For the best secure, affordable file storage, get iDrive today.
#2: CrashPlan – 8/10 – Unlimited storage space, but no mobile backup
If iDrive just isn’t for you, CrashPlan is another good option to look into.
Though their service is definitely missing some features and comes with a higher annual price tag, their unlimited storage space is definitely a draw for a lot of users.
CrashPlan’s software, like iDrive’s, is compatible with all major operating systems, and also offers mobile apps to access your account and files on the go.
However, keep in mind that you can’t back up any of your mobile devices with this service.
Other than that, CrashPlan’s list of features is pretty extensive.
Not only is their storage space unlimited, but you also get unlimited file storage space, and an unlimited period of time to recover deleted files from your online backups.
Crashplan’s software uses automatic continuous backup with an optional scheduling tool, just as iDrive’s, though it isn’t nearly as easy to use.
Keep that in mind, as CrashPlan also doesn’t have live chat support, so you’ll have to either e-mail them or call their phone support line to get help if you get stuck trying to navigate their software.
In addition, unlike iDrive, CrashPlan’s storage is not geo- redundant, so if their data center goes down, all of your backed up files are lost forever.
However, with military grade encryption and an optional private encryption key, this is the only shortfall with their security in comparison with iDrive.
CrashPlan has a reasonable amount of features, and their unlimited storage space is definitely a draw.
But with their complicated software and lack of mobile backup or a file sharing feature, the price is a bit steep at $60 per year – you can get all of that and more at a much better price with iDrive.
CrashPlan can be found at this website.
#3: Acronis– 5/10 – Expensive, invades user privacy
Okay, so I have beef with Acronis. Their service isn’t bad – it’s packed with features, offers unlimited storage space, the whole shebang.
But seriously, this is just one of those companies that you never know just how private your files are with them.
The language in Acronis’s user agreement is sketchy to say the least, with lots of wording that make it clear that they are in no way guaranteeing the security (privacy?) of your files.
In addition, they requires tons of personal information to set up an account – I’m talking address, first and last name, even your phone number. No thanks.
Acronis’s software does allow you to sync and access files on the go with your mobile devices.
However, one shortfall is that their software is only compatible with PC and Mac – there isn’t a platform available for Linux yet. For compatibility on all systems, choose iDrive instead.
Acronis comes with external hard drive back up and unlimited file versioning, but there is absolutely no recovering a file once it’s been deleted from your backups – that’s it, it’s gone forever.
On top of that, unlike iDriv,e Acronis has zero geo-redundancy to their backup system, so their single data center is the only one you can depend on to keep your files safe.
While they do offer security features like a private encryption key and keep third parties out of the mix, they don’t have a remote wipe feature in the event that your device is ever stolen.
Simply put, Acronis just isn’t worth the money. Their service plans absolutely nickel and dime you, charging their customers extra for 24/7 support.
Plus, if you want a program that’s compatible with both PC and Mac, you actually have to pay $25 extra!
There are better deals out there that do a lot better job at securing your files, and at a lot better price. Skip the interrogation and the price gouging of Acronis – stick with iDrive.
Acronis is here.
Conclusion: Use iDrive for Secure Backup Anytime, Anywhere
Online backup services are like insurance for your most precious and personal files. From baby’s first steps, to last year’s tax returns, all of it is important, and all of it can vanish in the blink of an eye.
Protect your files from permanent loss with the best online storage available.
There are a lot of options to sift through, and iDrive gives you all these important key features:
- across the board system compatibility
- mobile device backup
- plenty of storage space
- geo redundant storage
- no more than $50 per year
iDrive really is the best deal you’re going to find. Their storage is secure, their software is extremely easy to use, and their prices are super low, despite including tons of features.
There’s no question – with so much on the line, it’s time you took file storage seriously.
Protect everything that matters with iDrive now.
