Guide to Safe Online Digital Media Backups

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Data storage is one of the key units of measurement we deal with on a daily basis. Over the past 20 years we have seen the amount of data storage on a typical hard drive increase dramatically. But what has this done for data backups?

It is now easier than ever to keep all your data stored remotely in a cloud backup. Many of these service providers will have a data cap limit for storage space. And additionally they will also often keep your files secured through an administration panel. But these are just a few solutions which I feel can greatly affect your daily workflow.

Smaller File Storage

If you need some type of quick and easy solution for cloud storage I have to recommend Dropbox. They are completely free to sign up and work with all major Operating Systems. Better yet you may also log into the web interface to download entire folders.

You can gain more storage space by inviting your friends to join the network. This is useful since you are not paying any monthly fees, so more storage space can only leave you better off. Dropbox is an extremely secure startup which has been running for just a few years. But their skillset has proven impeccable in comparison with any competition.

CloudApp is another solution which doesn’t have as many flashy features as Dropbox. It has both a free and a pro plan for users to choose from. And their interface is extremely straightforward for cloud storage. Be sure to check out either one for your basic file storage needs.

Sizable Data Backups

When you move away from the smaller file-storage services you may see that full paid services offer a whole lot more. Granted this will come at a cost, but you’re keeping all your data secured and copied into a remote location. Less hassle that you do not need to worry about.

You should definitely check out Best Backups for some resources for online cloud storage. Data backups to the cloud are easy to push and easy to retrieve. But you may be working with a limited budget and need to choose the proper resource within your range.

One of the more featured entries is ZipCloud which offers 75GB for only $4.95/mo. There are also premium business plans which range upwards of $50/month. This premium plan can increase into the terabytes of storage space.

Now based on your needs this may not be the best option. And honestly I have to recommend digging through the reviews and finding a solution which matches you perfectly. Why overpay for services you won’t be using anyways? If you’re looking for a place to start the top 10 backup providers list is a very handy resource.

Keeping Local Data Storage

One of the solutions which most techies don’t even consider is to purchase your own drives and keep the data backups yourself. There are plenty of cheap external HDDs which sell between $100-$250 for 1-3TB of data.

If you could purchase even two or three of these drives you would have more than enough storage space. This is a great solution for people running their own freelance gig, new startup, or small business. There is often loads of digital media which you need organized and, more importantly, copied onto another drive for safekeeping. If your laptop or desktop were to die then you could at least retrieve these files off an external.

One of my favorite places to shop online Newegg has amazing deals on hard drives. The internal drives will obviously be cheaper, but less uniform to connect with any computer. Generally USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 is the quickest and most supported method. Check out their external HDDs to get an idea of the price range and consider if managing your own backups is something worthwhile.

Final Thoughts

Whatever your needs for digital backups it is worth checking out a few of these solutions. Nobody is expecting HDD failure or any other type of computer problems. But when they happen it can be catastrophic for your workload. It is always better to be safe with data backups rather than risk losing everything in a freak accident.