What to Look For in an Online Backup Service

If you do decide to include an online backup service as part of your backup solution, then there are a few things that you should think about before deciding on a provider. While online backup services may look the same, what they offer will probably be different.

Below is a list of features that you should think about when looking for an online backup service provider:

The amount of storage space. Each online backup service will offer a different amount of storage space. Some may have unlimited storage space, while others offer a few hundred megabytes or a few gigabytes. It is important to choose a service that provides enough space to backup all of your data, with some additional room for growth.

Length of time for archives. If you accidentally delete a file you don't want your online backup service provider to instantly delete the file in your backup set. You should look into how long the archives are kept for a file in case you need to restore a file that you deleted. Similar to storage space, this will vary with each online backup service provider.

Support for various operating systems. While Windows is the dominant operating system in use, there are many other people using Mac or a flavour of Unix. If you aren't on Windows, verify that your backup service provider supports your operating system.

Amount of technical support. If something were to go wrong with either backing up or restoring your data, you may need to contact your provider's support. Ensure that your provider provides 24/7 support in case anything goes wrong at anytime.

Ease of use. This you can't tell until you actually start using the service, but if you can get a free trial, then go ahead and try. It is important that an online backup service be able to easily backup your files as well as restore them. You should test both features before making your decision.

The above points list just some of the features of an online backup service that you should be looking into before choosing a service. If you aren't comfortable with a service meeting your needs, you should look for another.