5 reasons why online backup services are superior to offline home storage solutions

Posted by Joe on April 23rd, 2008

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We have previously discussed the many core benefits of online backup services and provide an extensive comparison of the leading online backup services on our site. But, we have never covered the many reasons that online backup services are superior to the various offline options that are available for consumers.

That is, until now! Below is our list of five important reasons that online backup services are superior to offline home storage. To learn more about online backup services please visit our online backup service comparison guide.

1) Online backup services are value priced

Online backup services like Mozy and Carbonite offer unlimited storage for a low monthly or annual fee. This means that the more data the store the cheaper these services cost per giga bite. For example, if you store 50 giga bites of data on the Mozy online backup service which costs $4.95 per month, then you are paying about $0.10 per giga bite. However, as the amount of data you store increases your costs actually decrease; 100 giga bites of storage would cost about $0.05 per giga bite. With offline home storage, which requires external hard drives to store your data, have recurring costs that are always fixed. If you need more storage you have to buy a bigger drive. Additionally, external hard drives do not last forever (see point four below) which means you will have even more costs when you need to replace old drives.

2) Online backup services scale to meet your needs

Whether your are looking to store a few MP3s and digital photos or you want to store hundreds of gigabits worth of information, online backup services will fit your needs. Unlike offline storage solutions, online backup services offer unlimited amounts of storage on demand. As mentioned in point one above, both Mozy and Carbonite offer unlimited storage for a fixed fee. This means that you don’t have to wrangle with the decision of how much storage you need in your laptop or external hard drive. Online backup services will grow with you.

3) Online backup services offer a higher level of security

With online backup services your files are stored in facilities that leverage the best practices in data security. For example, Carbonite utilizes the same intensive security measures that major financial institutions use to store account information. Offline storage options, on the other hand, are only as secure as you make them. For example, if you use an external hard drive to backup your data and that drive is lost or stolen, all the information you have stored there is in jeopardy.

4) Online backup services have a longer shelf life

A recent Google study found that about 8% of all hard drives will fail within the first two years of service. This means that one in every twelve hard drives, including internal and external drives, will fail in as little as 24 months from when they are put to use. We don’t like those odds when it comes to storing your important files and documents. Online backup is superior because the service providers themselves manage the hardware and have advanced contingency plans for any issues that may arise. In most cases, online backup service providers securely store multiple copies of the files that you upload to their service which nearly eliminates the likelihood that you will lose any of your backed-up data.

5) Online backup services are more environmentally friendly

As we discussed in our Earth Day post, online backup services are much more environmentally friendly than the hardware based alternatives because they cut down on the number of home storage devices that have to be produced and shipped all over the globe. The folks at Carbonite also pointed out that online backup services eliminate the need for storing information on other media such as CDs or reams of paper which are much more damaging to the environment.

Visit our online backup service reviews and comparison to learn more.

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