Online Backup - Who Can Access My Data?

In the previous post we looked at encryption systems for online backup services. We saw that the AES 256-bit encryption standard, used by the best online backup services such as Back Up Solutions, provides the highest possible level of security.

So what are the implications of this for backing up your own data? When you sign up to one of these online backup services, you are provided with a decryption key - a complex password - or you may be asked to compose your own. If you are provided with a key it will be computer-generated, and the staff at the online backup service will NOT have access to it. This means that NOBODY can access your data except yourself. You must of course find a secure place to keep your decryption password - probably NOT where you keep your computer - so that you can be sure you can find it when you need it, even if your computer is destroyed in a fire or some other disaster.

You may ask - what about hackers who may target the data center itself? It is generally agreed that the algorithm used for this level of encryption is sufficiently complex to make it virtually impossible for a hacker to break it. Remember that it is used by the US government to encrypt its TOP SECRET classified information!

But it does depend on you being very careful to make sure your key doesn't fall into the wrong hands!

Online Backup - How is My Data Protected?

In an earlier post we discussed some worries that you might have about online backup. One question was - how can I be sure that my data is kept confidential? We briefly explained that any good online backup service will ENCRYPT your data.

If you look at the Back Up Solutions site you will see the statement "Our files are 256-bit AES encrypted before being uploaded." What on earth does this mean?

Well I am not a techie so I don't understand the technicalities of encryption algorithms, but AES stands for "Advanced Encryption Standard". It is a symmetric key encryption technique which was accredited by the US government as the standard to which all encryptions must comply. The US government has confirmed that AES is secure enough to protect classified information up to TOP SECRET level - that is, it is the standard which the government itself uses to protect its MOST SENSITIVE information!

The AES algorithm uses one of three cipher key strengths: 128-bit, 192-bit or 256-bit. The larger the number of "bits", the more complex the algorithm used to scramble the data, so the more difficult it is for a hacker to get in.

So the encryption level used by Back Up Solutions is the highest level of security you can get! If it's good enough for the US government to protect its most top-level secret information, it's probably good enough to protect your data and mine!

More about this in the next post.

Online Backup - I Have Questions!

When you think about online backup, it seems a very abstract process which you can't really see. And you can't see the people who operate the service either. You may have all sorts of questions in your mind about how it works.

• How do I know backup is taking place? Most online backup services provide an icon on your computer which you can click at any time. It will tell you whether backup for the day is pending, in progress, or complete. Sometimes it will say "Searching for files to back up"!


• How do I know if files have been backed up? Usually files that have been backed up have a symbol on them to show that they have been backed up. The web site of the online backup service will tell you what to look for to see if the files are backed up or awaiting backup.


• Will the backup get in my way? It won't get in your way at all. You may notice a humming from your computer while it is taking place, but it just works away in the background.


• How do I know I can access my data? This is a very good question. Your best plan is to "accidentally" delete a file and see if you can retrieve it easily. It's also a good idea to log on to the service from another computer and see if you can easily access your data. You should do this during the guarantee period or free trial period.

There may be lots more questions you have - do ask. Peace of mind is the main reason for using a service like Back Up Solutions, and you need to have all your doubts put to rest.

Online Backup - What About Data Recovery?

The whole point of using an online backup service is to ensure you could recover your data if you lost it.

However, when you sign up for a service, you wouldn't be human if you didn't have a few questions in your mind. How do I know that I would be able to recover my data? How do I know that these people aren't just taking my money without really providing the service? After all, if the worst happened and you did lose your data, it would be too late then to find that you couldn't get it back!

It is true that online backup services do differ a lot in the ease and speed of data recovery. Users of some services do experience delay and difficulty when trying to retrieve their files. For instance, some online backup services use a third party to store the files which they have backed up. If you lose your data, you have to wait till they can retrieve it from this source. In this situation, your data would actually be safe - you might just find the delay caused extra stress at a stressful time.

Other people find that some of their files are corrupted when they get them back. This can cause great dismay when you think you have paid to keep them safe.

However, don't forget that data recovery services aren't just for the entire contents of your hard drive. They are supposed to be there to help you to recover individual files if you lose them, or accidentally delete them.

So your best plan is - during the free trial or guarantee period - to delete a file that isn't too vital to you, and see how easy and quick it is to get it back. This will help you decide whether to continue with that particular online backup service.

You will find that Back Up Solutions is a service that you can really rely on. But like all good services they have a cast-iron money-back guarantee period during which you can try everything out.

If you have more questions about Back Up Solutions or about online backup generally, click on the link, or get in touch and ask. Also do share any experiences you have with online backup - good or bad!

What is Online Backup?

Online Backup is simply a process of sending the data on your computer to be stored on the server of the backup company. It does away with the need to spend time backing up your data on CDs or DVDs, and also does away with the problem of where to store the CDs or DVDs when you've done them!

Using an online backup service takes up virtually no time at all. And it requires no technical knowledge on your part whatsoever. Once you've signed up with the online backup service, they do all the work. It doesn't get in the way of the work you're doing on your computer and most of the time you don't realize it's happening.

When you sign up with an online backup service, they provide you with your unique ID - usually a password you've chosen yourself. This is your key to retrieving your data. Then they start backing up all the files on your computer. This can take several days depending on how many files you have. Once they have completed this, they scan your computer every day for new files to back up. They provide an icon on your desktop so you can click at any time to check if the backup for that day has been done.

You probably have lots of questions and many of these will be dealt with in future posts - but do contact me with any particular questions you have. Meanwhile find out more here about online backup. And try Back Up Solutions for the best online backup service available.