To answer a simple question well may not be easy.

No matter backup locally or online, data security is more than about data storage or file synchronization.

First of all, the ultimate purpose of backup is to avoid data loss, and minimize the time to bring everyting back to normal as possible as it can after an accident or disaster. In order to achieve this goal, the root causes of data loss must be found and analyzed by professionals. Generally, if the actual reason of data loss is not human error, it must be device problem, including hardware failure and software error. Then, how to avoid this? In other words, what is the criteria for an effective backup we can choose?

Before we make this question to be too complicated, let us consider several simple but critical points:

• Backup Timely
  Data will be added or modified very often and day after day. The latest good copy of data just before a disaster is always the desired one. However, who knows when will a disaster happen? The best way is a duplicated copy is generated automatically in a reasonable interval or at each time data is created or changed. Manual backup cannot meet this requirement and introduces human error. An online/offsite backup service with very low upload speed is also not acceptable. When online space for storage is easy to measure, time may be ignored like a hidden cost and affect feasibility. On server side, BitWay online backup can be as fast as 20GB per day.
• Backup Offsite
  Each duplicated copy and its original copy must not be in the same physical storage media or location. Otherwise, it is the same as putting all eggs in one basket. Moreover, the offsite backup must be easy to access for recovery purpose. The best is to have global access.
• Backup History
  When backup is running automatically or manually, a previous good copy in backup media is possible to be overwriten by its latest corrupt copy. Unlimited versioning is an ideal feature to ensure backup effectivity. File synchronization without version control or with limited version control cannot remove this risk of data loss. Many online backup service providers provide free backup plan to attract users, but limited versioning means the online backup system will delete old files automatically.
• Backup Control
  Automatical backup will run by itself once it is started, but will stop because of some unknown reasons. The procedure or result of backup must be able to be monitored by human. A stoped auto backup must be noticed and restarted timely.

To protect data is not so easy or simple. As early as 1960s, data center has been designed and developed as an ideal home for data. Data in data center is highly secured. How can a home or office environment compete with multiple Tier III & IV rated Data Centers? Data center becomes more and more advanced but its cost goes down. Now, it is affordable for everybody.

Today, we have computers, Internet, iPhone, digital cameras ...... we are living in a digital world from now on and in the future - in home and work place. Losing data means losing money, losing memory and losing history. Even though you may have an external hard drive or USB stick with very low cost, these physical storage media will fail some day suddently ( see a professional report 'Failure Trends in a Large Disk Drive Population' from Google ). With insufficient protection, losing data is a question of 'When' instead of 'If'. BitWay online backup system is smart and good at keeping file history in a cost-effective way, and the usage of online space for history is less than a corresponding compressed file (like .zip file) in local computer file system. None of a single byte will be wasted under any backup account. A compromised combination of different backup methods is able to be designed in a backup solution under budget and meet specific requirements. So, do you still leave your important data living outside of its safe home and in risk of loss?

Data recovery service is easy to guarantee 'No data is rescured, no charge', but will not guarantee to get 100% data back as usual. Moreover, a news 'Users Risk Major Data Loss With Poor Backup' on www.eweekeurope.co.uk is worth to take a look.

Have backup online, have peace of mind!