Unlike online backup, an offline backup strategy does not use software or the cloud. One thing to bear in mind, however, is that the backup speed is dependent on how strong and fast your internet connection is. Not only is online backup flexible and scalable, but it’s also incredibly simple to use. The always-on nature of an online backup solution like Dropbox Backup will give you this convenience. You need a backup service that can keep up and operate in the background so you can focus on perfecting your media. You can’t risk breaking your flow to stop and back up your files to an external hard drive every time you make an edit. Say you’re a content creator and do a lot of work on the move. You can access the files you’ve backed up anytime or anywhere you need them-even on different devices, including mobiles and tablets. Online backup services ensure data is accessible and protected from cyber security threats. What are the benefits and drawbacks of online backup? You may also see this process referred to as “hot backup”, which means the backup happens while the data is still accessible to users. Online backup can also be known as “remote backup” or “offsite backup”. Not only will this keep your data as secure as possible, but this can also be done automatically. Factors such as the capacity needed, scalability, bandwidth, and number of users will all contribute to the amount you pay for a cloud backup service.įiles selected for online backup will be encrypted before they are sent to your provider’s online servers. Everything that you back up with an online service provider will be accessible through that service’s dashboard or software.Ĭloud backup services charge their users a subscription fee that accounts for several things. You can either send specific files to the cloud for back up, or back up your entire computer system. These locations will often be cloud-based servers hosted by third-party services. Online backup is the system of sending copies of data to remote locations using an internet connection. But what do we mean by “online backup” and “offline backup”? And how do they compare or differ? To strengthen your cyber security strategy, you should send copies of your data to both online and offline backup locations. Business continuity-backups make it easier to recover information used for managing relationships with collaborators, monitoring project feedback and changes, and more.Data preservation-archive files you may need in the future, but don’t need regular access to.Flexibility-multiple data copies mean you have options if one copy is damaged or fails.Reassurance-get back up and running quickly if something does go wrong.Disaster recovery-prevent the irreversible loss of data.Whether you choose an online or offline method, backup will give you peace of mind in multiple ways: And now your work might be completely lost. It’s a moment of panic that no professional wants to experience-especially when you know you haven’t backed up your file. You’re about to hit “Save”-then your computer crashes. It’s been tweaked and refined, now it’s finally perfect. You’ve spent all day fine-tuning an important piece of work that needs to be delivered to a client tomorrow. Databases (such as financial or transactional records)īasically, you should back up anything that would be impossible to replace if were to be lost, damaged, or corrupted.Documents (classified, personal, and commercial).These include how often your data is revised, the value of the data, and the time or resources needed to perform the backup.įor example, the kind of data you should backup regularly include: How often you should back up your data depends on several factors. The goal of backup is to preserve data so it can be recovered if the original file, folder, or document is lost or no longer usable. Put simply, a backup is a copy of physical or virtual data that is stored in a secondary location.

So let’s start with the basics: what does “backup” mean?

Offsite data backup