It’s happened to all of us, your working on that project that you’ve racked up 10’s if not 100’s of hours on, your making all this headway towards your next milestone, and KAPUT.. the program closes, your computer blue screens, your hard-drive starts skipping, the power goes out, and your dog pukes on your tower. (I hope you’ve never had the misfortune of all of these happening consecutively.)
Levity aside, these are a handful of reasons why you should consider strong backup solutions, especially if you consider your information absolutely vital to your personal and professional endeavours.
The question is primarily, which route should you pursue, local backup or online backup?
Local backup
Local backup has been the tried and true, status quo backup solution of yesteryear and arguable remains as such. It is still the go-to method for the average user, and ranges from the personal and discreet (USB storage, External Hard Drive Storage), to the macrocosm of local storage & network management (Local Server Storage).
Online backup
Relatively speaking, online backup is the new kid on the block. It offers a significant mark-up in convenience and accessibility without sacrificing a strong standard of security for your data. Having your information stored in a place that offers a high degree of virtual, as-well as, physical security is paramount.
In an effort to aid you in deciding which solution is best tailored for you and your network management, here’s a breakdown of the most important benefits of each storage method.
Benefits of Local Backup
- Internet Independent
Having a local solution for data storage can be beneficial if you value the ability to access and manipulate your data WITHOUT having to log-in to an online gateway.
- Internet Speed
With no internet dependability comes the non-reliance on internet bandwidth limitations and internet speed. When you are creating, reading, updating, or deleting data, you are not bound by your internet provider packages speed.
- Security
With the local solution, your information is not on the internet, so it is not susceptible to hackers or online malware. Although you burden the full responsibility for your data’s physical and network safety which means network maintenance if necessary.
- Privacy & Control
Lots of users have a preference for complete control and privacy of information. A Local solution provides full control and expects YOU to handle the responsibility of privacy and security.
Benefits of Online Backup
- Cost effectiveness
Online backup solutions are much more cost effective if your consideration for a local solution includes a full server infrastructure and/or a network expert. With an online method you also save on your power bill.
- Flexibility
Speaking of power, with a cloud solution you have the ability to customize your storage, having as little or as much capacity as you need, on-demand.
- No hassle with Hardware
Online, or ‘Cloud’, backup solutions take all the fuss of dealing with backup software and hardware away, and provide a relatively seamless and on-demand backup experience.
- Accessibility
This solution also offers the ability to access your data anywhere, provided you have the requisite device such as a laptop, tablet, or smart phone.
- Data Recovery
Online methods significantly reduce the risk of losing your data in the event of an on-site disaster. Proving invaluable for particularly unfortunate circumstances.
Wrapping Up
Ultimately the decision for local backup and online backup comes down to your backup needs. For the majority of users, online or cloud backup is the preferential choice due to its accessibility, inexpensive nature and ease of use. The ability to have the system update automatically on a set schedule, coupled with the convenience of not having to be constantly attentive to the solutions maintenance and operation appears to be where the value of a cloud computing storage solution primarily comes from.
We hope we’ve provided a little insight into backup storage solutions. If you’re at the point where your in need of an Online (Cloud) Storage solution, we direct you right here to consider our storage service.
You can also contact us on our website or by phone at 604-595-1605.