Selecting the appropriate cloud backup service depends on your backup goals and internet speed. Full image backups to the cloud are often impractical due to large file sizes and slow upload speeds. A balanced backup strategy includes local full image backups combined with cloud syncing services like OneDrive for important files. Understanding the differences between backup types ensures data safety and efficient recovery.
Cloud backup is a popular solution for protecting your data, but choosing the right one depends heavily on what kind of backup you want and your internet capabilities. Many people expect cloud backup to be a complete image of their entire hard drive, but this is often impractical. On the other hand, some solutions marketed as cloud backup are not true backups at all. This article explores the realities of cloud backup and offers a practical strategy for protecting your data.
Many users expect cloud backup to function as a full image backup — a complete copy of their entire hard drive. This would allow them to restore their system exactly as it was if the hard drive fails. While this sounds ideal, it is usually not practical for most people.
Full image backups are typically very large. For example, a backup of a single C drive can easily exceed 350 GB. Uploading such a large amount of data to the cloud over a typical home internet connection can take an extremely long time, sometimes longer than a day for daily updates. This can also slow down your internet connection for other uses.
Downloading a full image backup to restore a machine also takes a significant amount of time.
Some services, like iDrive, offer entire machine backup to the cloud. This might be practical for users with extremely fast internet connections, but for most, it is not a feasible solution.
A more practical approach is to perform full image backups locally to an external hard drive or network-attached storage (NAS). This forms the foundation of a solid backup strategy, ensuring you have a complete copy of your system readily available.
If you prefer backing up just your important files and folders rather than the entire system, cloud services like iDrive and Carbonite are solid choices. These services have been around for a long time and work well for many users.
These services typically back up only your data files, excluding the operating system, settings, and applications. They attempt to automatically identify where your data lives, but sometimes their assumptions are incorrect. This can lead to missing files in your backup, which you might only discover when you need them.
It is important to understand exactly what is included in the backup and how to add any missing files manually.
Services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive are often mistaken for cloud backups. However, they are primarily synchronization tools designed to keep your data consistent across multiple devices and the cloud.
If you lose your laptop, files stored in a OneDrive folder, for example, remain accessible online or on other devices using the same account. When you set up OneDrive on a new device, your files automatically reappear.
If you delete a file from a synced folder on one device, it is deleted everywhere, including the cloud and all other devices. Although there is usually a recycle bin online, this behavior is not that of a true backup, which should protect against accidental deletions.
Many people have lost data due to misunderstanding this critical difference.
A robust backup strategy combines the strengths of local backups and cloud syncing:
Full Image Backup to Local Storage: Periodically (e.g., monthly) create a full image backup to an external hard drive or NAS. This backs up everything — operating system, applications, settings, and data.
Incremental Image Backups: Perform daily incremental backups to update the local backup with any changes. This keeps your backup current without the need to upload large amounts of data daily.
Cloud Sync for Working Files: Store your important working files in a folder synced with OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or similar. This ensures your files are backed up to the cloud as you work on them.
This approach leverages the speed and completeness of local backups with the convenience and off-site protection of cloud syncing.
Backing up your data is essential. Whatever method you choose, the most important thing is to have a backup plan in place. The strategy outlined here provides a solid foundation that includes the cloud as part of a comprehensive backup solution.
For more detailed information, you can refer to resources like "How to Backup Windows" which delve deeper into backup strategies.
Remember, someday you will be very glad that you backed up your data.
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Leo Notenboom, askleo.com
