Ask Mr. Tech

As anyone who has ever lost data on a computer knows, consistent data backups are critical. Whether you’re running a business or just don’t want to lose your vacation photos, backups are key — but there is a new twist on the old paradigm.

You can now backup your files “off-site”, over the Internet. If a water pipe bursts and your PC AND backup drive are destroyed, you can always restore data from an off-site backup.

Offsite backups are nothing new, but were usually done using backup tapes.

A new emerging trend is Online Backups: you backup your data over your Internet connection to a “cloud in the sky” (i.e., servers on the Internet).

A free service from Mozy.com allows up to 2 GB of data backup for free. If you need more than 2 GB of online storage, you can pay $4.95 per month for unlimited space. And since Mozy has graduated from Startup status to being acquired by storage giant EMC for $76 million, I don’t think this service will be disappearing any time soon.

If you have a high speed Internet connection, I’d go with an online backup strategy. Having dealt with the hassle of tape drives and mailing tapes off-site myself, I’m very happy to see the emergence of online backups!