With the hurricane season upon us in North America, it is perhaps time again to review the concept of computer backups. Of course, we all need to make backups to other disk drives or to CD-ROM disks or to jump drives or to whatever media seems appropriate. However, storing that media at home doesn't provide much protection when a hurricane, tornado, fire, or other major calamity destroys the house and all its contents.
Hopefully, that will not happen to you. However, should you suffer such a loss, are you prepared? Will you be able to save your family photographs? How about your genealogy data or your checkbook information? The only safe way to make backups is to supplement your regular in-home backups with additional off-site storage.
Computer experts will advise you to never rely on a single backup methodology. In fact, you need to make multiple backups on a variety of media and to store those backups in different locations. Online storage should be a part of your backup process. In case of fire, flood, or other major catastrophe, it will be reassuring to have your important data and images stored thousands of miles away.
I have used Mozy for several years to provide storage space for my backups. Mozy provides up to two gigabytes of backup space free of charge and unlimited storage space for only $4.95 a month. It works with both Windows and Macintosh. You can read more about Mozy in my earlier article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/12/unlimited_onlin.html or at http://mozy.com/?kbid=7017.
I recently discovered a new online backup service that is cheaper and also is distributed. That is, the files are not all saved on one server at one remote location.
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