The implosion cast an undeserved unfavorable light on those online storage/backup providers that survived through tenacity and logical, fee-based business plans. Today, there's a resurgence in this market--a quick Web search identifies hundreds of offerings, and it was a challenge choosing which to highlight.
We picked four of the largest fee-based services that focus on server data.
There's an important distinction between online storage and online backup providers. As a rule, online storage providers offer a basic browser interface featuring "Web folders" for simplified storage, sharing and recovery of files and sometimes an optional backup client. In contrast, online backup services provide much more sophisticated backup clients that offer more security and complex backup configurations and support byte- or block-level file comparison for bandwidth optimization, along with an optional Web interface for easy file restoration.
Either type of online service could serve as an interim or primary backup option for road-warrior data. An inexpensive subscription could eliminate the need for additional local network storage and reduce support staffing requirements, while providing guaranteed secure and accessible online backups. Storage plans are extremely flexible, and it's painless to increase your total capacity if the need arises.
The main drawback to online backup may be that your company data is entrusted to an outside agency. Fortunately, most online companies have established stringent security features, including password authentication schemes that prevent anyone but an authorized user from accessing your data, and encryption that might exceed what you're using internally. Data availability may also be a concern, but most top providers promise 99.99 percent uptime through redundant data centers and mirrored servers.
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