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It can back up an unlimited number of PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets for a reasonable price which makes IDrive the best choice if you have multiple computers and phones. However, if you lose that key, the service can’t help you recover your data, so be sure to store it somewhere safe.īased on our own extensive testing, our Editor’s Choice is IDrive ($3.98 for the first year for Tom’s Guide readers). They also all let you encrypt your data using your own private key. Here’s more on the merits of cloud services versus external hard drives as backup solutions.Įach of the cloud backup services we’ve tested - Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office/True Image, Backblaze, Carbonite Safe, CrashPlan for Small Business, IDrive Personal and SpiderOak One - uses industry-standard encryption on their own servers to protect your data. Cloud backup services provide the same peace of mind for consumers.
DATA BACKUP PC
Even with an external backup drive hooked up to your PC or as a stand-alone backup device on your home network, it could still fall victim to a flood, fire or theft, leaving you with nothing.Īs a result, many enterprises and even small businesses rely on “off-site” backups to minimise the threat of physical disasters.
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Each of these services constantly copies the data from your computer (or even multiple computers) to cloud storage servers elsewhere in the world that can be easily reached from anywhere you can get internet access.Ĭloud backup is necessary to have as you can’t always count on local backup drives to protect your data. The best cloud backup solutions can help you avoid dealing with data loss.
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