LostInTechnology

Should I Back Up Locally or Off-site?

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by Elmer.Thomas in Internet Tools

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Computers are an integral part of our lives and almost have become a commodity. However, the data on them is often times invaluable. We place tremendous value on intangible items that physically are just a bunch of electronic and electro-magnetic bits and bytes. Sure, you could take your computer apart and hold the hard drive inside it, but what about holding the contents, each photograph, document, spreadsheet, family movie and song?

That data, which now fills our hard drives, becomes as important to our lives as the way older generations treasured the physical items that are represented now digitally. One virus, Windows blue screen of death, theft or accidental deletion of digital files can erase years of memories. Backing up all of these important files is an often-overlooked necessity that can help to greatly alleviate the financial, emotional and incredible time lost should something go wrong. Correction, when something goes wrong.

There are two schools of thought on how to backup data: (1) locally, meaning at the location of the main computer, or (2) off-site, in case of water damage, fire, home invasion, etc. Neither is hands down better than the other, but fit different needs.

Local Storage

Network Attached Storage

Storing data locally with a network attached storage device (NAS) like the My Book World Edition by Western Digital has one distinct benefit over nearly every off-site storage option. Speed. Plain and simply put, plugging this NAS device onto your network will enable anyone who has access the ability to backup, access, stream or retrieve data at full network speeds. Because online storage solutions’ pinch point is your connection to the Internet, speeds will often be 10x [is 10 accurate?] faster at home.

The ability to centrally store and access content is also a benefit, allowing one common place to put photos, music and movies that anyone in the home can see. The initial cost is greater, however there are no monthly fees and a USB port on the device allows for easy expansion. Utilizing MioNet (packaged with the My Book), allows access to the NAS from outside your network, say from a Wi-Fi equipped hotel room on a business trip. It is important to note that with an online storage solution your valuable data is at the mercy of that company’s security system, their own backup routines and the viability of the company itself.

Online Storage

Online storage has a big attraction as well; it’s not in your home. Initial cost tends to be much less than an NAS device; however monthly fees, bandwidth and storage limitations are factors that need to be considered. However since NAS drives have a USB port on them, I backup all the data from NAS drive to a portable hard drive and store that off-site (locked up at my office) each month. In that way, I have all situations covered.

Four major players are in the online backup market currently.

Windows Live Mesh

Live Mesh is Microsoft’s solution to sharing data between multiple sources and syncing desktops, laptops and some phones. It’s still in Beta, and when using a Beta piece of software you, in a roundabout way, agree to the occasional glitch or fault. Live Mesh is currently free, so that could possibly be one of the most attractive features, it is cross platform compatible, meaning it will work on a Mac as well as Windows, and some cell phones.

Live Mesh is more of a syncing tool though, not so much data storage as you are limited to 5 GB. While it easily allows folders to be shared among different computers and even friends and family, it’s not a traditional backup solution. It also requires access to the Internet for both host and client when syncing two devices.

Ubuntu One

Ubuntu One is in Beta like Live Mesh, but specifically designed for the growing number of Ubuntu Linux computer users. With the hottest trend in computers in many years being the ultra-cheap Netbooks, many former Windows users are being introduced to the world of Linux via Ubuntu because it’s cheaper to distribute than Windows.

It is also, for all intensive purposes, a faster operating system when compared to Windows on lesser hardware. Since Netbooks were intended to be cheap, small, easily carried computers, this robust operating system was the logical choice. Because most Netbooks come with fairly small hard drives, 4 GB in some cases, having off-site storage for files makes total sense.

Ubuntu One will only work with the Ubuntu operating system and a broadband Internet connection. Like Live Mesh, it allows easy syncing between computers, but only natively for Ubuntu based computers. An attractive feature right now is 2GB of free storage space; 10GB is also available for $10 per month.

MobileMe

MobileMe by Apple brings a lot to the table. Syncing, storing and ease of use are among the top features. Like all other off-site storage though, a broadband connection is required to utilize the iDisk, Apple’s hard drive on the web, to store your files. MobileMe also offers some unique features, one of which is Gallery. Gallery is an easy way to share photos with friends and family and can be controlled even when you’re not at a computer via the iPhone.

Because of the integration with the iPhone, this also means syncing mail, contacts and calendars are easier than ever. One unique feature of MobileMe is the ability to locate a lost iPhone. Try Apple’s service free for 60 days, after that it is $99 per year.

Amazon S3

Amazon S3 is billed as a Simple Storage Service and is just that. No fancy syncing here, just point your web browser to the S3 site and access, view, retrieve, move files in their online storage system. What sets Amazon’s service apart is how the pricing structure works, more so than their purposeful lack of features. They’ve designed this to simply work as off-site storage with scalable storage and pricing to accommodate home users up through Fortune 500 companies.

Simply put, you pay for what you use, with prices starting at $0.15 per gigabyte of storage used per month and $0.10 per gigabyte of transfer. Unlike the other off-site, online storage options, Amazon is going to charge you to upload and download your data. Because of that alone, it’s fair to say that the other 3 online storage options are worth exploring first if you have a need to move files on a regular basis.

If on the other hand you need to move a few gigs of photos once per month, the bill won’t be as painful. Amazon’s top of the line servers, global infrastructure and established name mean you can expect next to zero downtime and the fastest connection to your data when you need it. Many commercial backup services utilize Amazon S3 as their backbone.

Conclusion

In an ideal world, everyone should have at least two copies of their digital data, one to be stored locally for easy access and one stored off-site in a secure location, should the local copy become corrupt, damaged, stolen or suffers an act of nature. Because that doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget, nor is it necessarily the easiest to use two or more services, weigh each option and compare your needs to make the best choice. Personally, I go for a combination of both, the NAS for the speed and the offsite solution for additional peace of mind.

(By) Elmer Thomas blogs primarily at Thinking Serious which focuses on programming, design, business and productivity content for tech entrepreneurs living in a 2.0 world. That is, when he is not tickling his entrepreneur itch or consulting.

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Tags: amazon s3, backup, cloud, live mesh, moblie me, NAS, storage, ubuntu one