Online Backup Services For Mac

Macs have a reputation for being reliable, but something can always go wrong, and when it does, it is usually at the most inconvenient moment.

Sometimes, these problems, such as hard drive failure, can result in data loss, and when that data is gone, it is usually gone forever. Therefore, having a backup plan is essential so that your files can be recouped in case of loss.

Computer security does not always mean security against theft or intrusion. It can mean protecting your backup from any damage or loss that may have affected your system. That means that you should probably not store your backup on the same drive as the original files, since, if something happens to that drive, then both your main drive and your backup are gone.

It is a mistake to think that, just because you have not had a problem with your Mac in the past, that backing up your data is a waste of time. It's like wearing a seatbelt in your car. Even if you've never had an accident, you should still wear it. After all, there's a first time for everything.

There are many ways in which you could lose data on your Mac or it could be corrupted, including hard drive failure. When it happens, your life--your treasured photos, videos, passwords, financial information, music that you purchased from the iTunes Store, personal projects and your e-mail address book--are lost.

Apple's Time Machine makes backup so easy--even effortless--that there's really no reason not to do it. You don't even have to think about which files you need to backup. External hard drives are cheap and readily available, so you might as well backup your whole system. This can also spare you the time and trouble of having to re-download all the upgrades you have made to your Mac operating system over the past few months.

Online backup services vary greatly in what they offer and what they charge, but they usually involve a monthly fee based on the amount of storage you require and how often you will need to access it. They use their own dedicated servers and sophisticated protocols to transfer, encrypt and secure your data.

Reputable online back up services (also known as off-site backup services) use the latest technologies to secure your data from hackers and computer viruses. As a busy online marketer or other Mac user, you will appreciate being freed from the worry of such matters and from having to shell out the funds for hiring a full-time backup specialist. And don't worry: there are plenty of services that are 100% compatible with the Mac.

A major draw of online backup services is that your data is stored in a remote location, in addition to the data stored locally on your own Mac, that is not subject to the same localized disasters that your own Mac may be.

If you should be the victim of theft, fire, flood or just a plain old hard drive crash, then you will appreciate knowing that your data is stored in a different location for when you need it.

If you run your own business-say in the field of Internet marketing-or you would like to, then your Mac stores a lot of important data. In this case, a reliable backup system is especially important. Without one, all your hard work could be lost due to a hard drive crash, theft, fire or natural disaster.

Your options in backing up include doing so either to an external hard drive or by using one of the many online backup services available. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, but either can be a viable choice, depending on your situation.

If you are worried about the theft, fire or flood business already discussed, then you might be interested in one of those online companies, otherwise known as off-site backup services, that will backup your data for you. These will store your data in the cloud so you can concentrate on the other important aspects of running your business.

You'll want to be sure that the off-site service you choose is trustworthy and dependable. After all, you don't want your stored data to be compromised in any way.

Furthermore, the company should offer and enforce a strict confidentiality policy. You can check with the Better Business Bureau on a company you are considering to see if it has any complaints against it.

You want to choose a dependable company as well. After all, having your data backed up to a remote location does you no good if you are unable to access it when you needed.

Find out who has used the service before, and test the service with a small subset of your data to ensure that you like the way it operates. A little caution can save you a lot of headaches in the future.

Ultimately, using online data backup can save you time and money. You can enjoy freedom from data loss nightmares and let others do the work of backing up for you.

Which is your favorite Online Backup Service for Mac? Vote by dragging your favorite up on the list below.

An external hard drive ia a viable and inexpensive but less secure option for backing up your data

Mac compatible external backup drives are readily accessible and are quite affordable these days. For example, the Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB USB 3.0/2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive is available for $129.99 and the Seagate 2TB Backup Plus External USB 3.0 Hard Drive can be had for the same price, while the 3TB Backup Plus External USB 3.0 Hard Drive is available for $149.99.

At one time, every Mac came with a DVD burner, but this is no longer the case. Apple has recently remove these from the iMac, the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air and the Mac Mini.

In these days of terabyte hard drives, the use of DVD-ROMs as a backup has become less and less practical anyway. And if you purchase a new Mac without a DVD drive, your old DVDs will be inaccessible.

As an alternative to buying an external hard drive you can consider subscribing to an online backup service, in which you use a secure file transfer protocol to back up your files, either specific folders or your entire hard drive. In this way, they are securely stored in a remote location and can be retrieved even in the case of burglary or fire or other disaster.

This means that, even if the worst should happen, your precious family memories and perhaps even your livelihood will still be secured.

Prefer an offline backup strategy, at least as a supplement to your online backups? Try one of these backup drives from Amazon.