It is not strange to find multiple devices in a household, after all, computers, smartphones, tablets and other items have become more affordable and they are necessary for everyday tasks. Having a variety of devices also means that we take more photos, create more documents and have a larger amount of data that needs to be protected. Finding an effective backup solution is essential for every home and in this article we will explore the best services available. Backing up work documents, school projects, bills, family photos and other data is important and if you rely only on your hard drive, you are more likely to lose all your information. It only takes a system error, or accidental deletion and your valuable files can be gone for good.
Thankfully, nowadays it is possible to find a vast selection of cloud services that can help you to keep your data safe. Choosing the right option for your household can be challenging, which is why we have created a list with the most convenient options for personal use. With a cloud backup solution, you will be able to keep your information protected from system failure, viruses and other problems that could destroy your files. No matter how reliable a computer may seem, every device will be eventually damaged, but that doesn’t mean that your data is doomed. Apart from system failure, there are threats like viruses and malware which could have devastating effects on your data. To prevent loss of data, we recommend that you opt for one of the options below.
Backblaze
Backblaze is an excellent choice for your home as it offers security, flexibility and affordability. For just $5 per month, you can get protection for all your files, regardless of their type and size, and enjoy a great level of security. Backblaze offers strong encryption and advanced users have the possibility of throttling their upload speeds to reduce bandwidth and CPU resources usage. Another highlight of Backblaze is a feature called Locate My Computer, which will help you to track a lost computer and get details about its location. One thing to consider is that although you can access your files on the go with the help of the web portal, it is not possible to share the data with others.
Carbonite
This is another practical option for home users as it offers an easy way to protect your data and to restore the files that you need. With Carbonite, you will enjoy flexibility for backup scheduling and you will be able to select the files that you want to upload. The option to revisit versioned files is also available and you can edit documents, edit videos and more. In terms of security, Carbonite also does well as it protects data with military-grade security and it uses personalized encryption keys. All files (with the exception of videos, which have to be backed up manually) are automatically backed up. You can set up backups to run when you are not using your computer, which is a convenient feature if you prefer to let your computer focuses on the tasks at hand.
CrashPlan
With CrashPlan you can enjoy unlimited storage at a very convenient price. The service works with multiple platforms and it is very easy to use, making it ideal for beginners. It is possible to schedule backups, choose the files that need to be stored and adjust the bandwidth to reduce the impact on other tasks. CrashPlan protects your data with 128-bit AES encryption during transmission. Once the files reached CrashPlan’s servers, they are secured with 448-bit AES encryption. It should be noted that since CrashPlan focuses on offering a backup solution, there are no file sharing or syncing features available.
SOS Online Backup
Some of the best aspects of SOS Online Backup are its excellent speeds and user-friendly interface. Your files are kept until you decide to delete them, and even if they are removed from your home computer, you will still be able to access them via SOS Online Backup. That being said, it is advisable to clean up your SOS account regularly to ensure that you enjoy a seamless experience. SOS offers a Personal plan that allows you to backup data from up to five computers. You can back up external and network drives and while the price of the service is on the high side of the scale, it is worth considering since it is one of the few online backup solutions that supports file sharing.
Zoolz
Zoolz provides a good option for users who need large storage capacity and it allows you to keep files for a long time. It is a cold storage services, meaning that it is designed for storing files that you don’t need to access on a regular basis. It is important to keep in mind that retrieving a file can take several hours, as such, Zoolz should only be used for files that you want to preserve but that you rarely need. Families may have many old files that they need to keep, but that are not for daily use. In this case, Zoolz is a good choice since it offers a plan for households that need to backup up to 5 computers at the same time. Zoolz also supports a cloud storage service for quick access, for an additional cost.
