Introduction
Backing up data is one of the most important things we can do to protect our digital information. As someone who relies on my computer and online services for both personal and professional use, I’ve learned that an offsite backup is essential. In this article, I’ll explain why offsite backup storage is so critical by exploring the risks of onsite backups, the benefits of offsite options, and tips for choosing the right offsite backup provider.
The Risks of Onsite Backups
Many people think doing an onsite backup by simply copying files to an external hard drive is sufficient. However, this local backup has serious risks:
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Hardware failure: If the hard drive storing your backup fails, you lose everything. This is more likely than you may think.
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Theft or damage: If your computer and backup drive are kept in the same place, a fire, flood or burglary could destroy both.
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Malware: Ransomware and other malicious software can infect both your computer and an onsite backup drive connected to it.
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Human error: Accidental file deletion and other mistakes are replicated to the onsite backup, providing no safety net.
An onsite backup has a single point of failure. For reliable protection, an offsite backup is essential.
The Benefits of Offsite Backup Storage
Offsite backup means copying your data to a remote and secure cloud server or a physical location far from your primary computing devices. This provides key advantages:
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Disaster recovery: With offsite storage, your data remains safe if a disaster strikes your home or office. This provides invaluable peace of mind.
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Isolation from malware: Malware cannot infect your backup files if they are isolated on a remote storage system not connected to your infected computer. Offsite backups provide an uncorrupted copy of your data to restore.
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Continuous data protection: Cloud-based backup services can automatically save file changes as they occur and keep historic versions, allowing for granular restores.
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Accessibility: You can access files through a cloud service from anywhere with an internet connection. This enables convenient restores of lost or corrupted data.
Tips for Choosing an Offsite Backup Provider
When researching services, keep the following in mind:
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Security: The provider should store backup data in encrypted format. Transmissions should use SSL to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Multi-factor authentication adds another layer of security.
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Reliability: Choose a provider with a reputation for robust management of their servers, data centers and networks. Verify they have redundancies to handle outages.
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Restore process: A provider should make restores easy, fast and flexible. Test their restore process before committing.
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Capacity: Calculate how much storage you require. Many providers offer unlimited or very high capacity.
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Cost: Compare pricing models like per-GB and unlimited plans. Average costs range from $5-$15 monthly.
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Customer support: Seek responsive 24/7 phone and chat support in case you ever need help.
Conclusion
The risks of relying solely on an onsite backup are substantial. Theft, hardware failure, natural disaster or malware infection will eventually lead to catastrophic data loss. For reliable protection of your irreplaceable files, an offsite backup is essential. A secure and reputable cloud backup provider delivers the most compelling solution through continual and automated backups that are accessible from anywhere while keeping your data safe from site-specific threats. Choosing the right provider means your data remains available and protected.
