Posted on: July 23rd, 2010 by Famous Phil

I am delighted today to bring you a guest posting from Alexis Bonari!

Anyone who does any sort of work on their computer can tell you a hard drive crash is the stuff nightmares are made of.  While it’s easy to pass judgment on such individuals for failing to use an external hard drive, doing so is admittedly time-consuming and, in some cases, expensive.

The solution: online backup sites. For a small fee, these off-site servers back up all data stored on the computer in case of a hard drive failure.  Here are the top three such services and what they have to offer:

1. Carbonite
(http://www.carbonite.com/en/default.aspx)
For only $54.95/ year, Carbonite offers unlimited backup on their server.  No matter what your computer’s storage limit, the Carbonite system can handle it.  For security purposes, files are encrypted before being sent to the Carbonite server for storage. For ease of use, the files are automatically backed up each time the computer is connected to the Internet. Restoring the files is as simple as logging into the Carbonite website and clicking the “restore” button listed on your account.

2. MozyHome Free
(http://mozy.com/home/free)
Unlike Carbonite, Mozy doesn’t charge a fee for the first 2 GB backed up.  The system for retrieving files and backing them up is essentially the same the one used by Carbonite.  If you want to store more than 2 GB, Mozy charges $4.95/month.  This gives you unlimited data storage for only slightly more per year than Carbonite.

3. SugarSync
(https://www.sugarsync.com/)
Many experts believe that online syncing represents the future of online backup technology.  SugarSync.com is the current leader in online syncing technology. Instead of simply backing up a set of files on one computer, SugerSync notifies other computers and devices you’ve listed of any changes made. You can work from nearly anywhere in the world and have your files backed up in real-time by the Sugarsync server.  Devices supported include Mac’s, PC’s, Ipads, smart phones, and many others.

Those who sign up get a 30 day free trial.  After that, the price goes up to $10/month for 60 GB of storage.  While the limited storage and the higher price might be prohibitive for some customers, many are happy to pay extra for the ability to sync documents over multiple devices.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She spends much of her days blogging about Education and CollegeScholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Tags: alexis bonari, backup, disaster, guest post
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