Internet Backup

I am a member of a business networking group that also has a group on linked in. Recently a member asked…

Can you tell me anything about Livedrive? My backup man says he wouldn’t trust it with his data and my computer man swears by it. I am currently on it, but would prefer to have my data a bit nearer to me.

I started to answer the question and quickly realised that the answer may be of broader interest, and so here it is… (I seem to have wittered on for a while longer than intended. You may wish to skip to the summary)

I can’t tell you about LiveDrive specifically, as I have never used them. However having looked at their website I can tell you that they say all the right things. Unlimited, Data stored in UK, apps so you can get to your data from anywhere. They imply that they do versioning of files, but it is not clear if you can access the versions directly or if you have to ask LiveDrive to provide previous versions.

Your IT man is correct and your backup man needs to move in to the 21st century. Tell him to go to the library and get a book about this strange thing called the “Internet”. I hate to be rude, but it amazing how many IT folk are burying their heads in the sand and hoping the internet will go away, instead of embracing it and the opportunities it provides.

There are many backup strategies that you can use. The current favoured approach is called 321. No file is thought of as existing until you have…. 3 Copies on… 2 Different Media… 1 of them off site To this end an off-site backup provider serves as 2 different media (your hard disk and their storage system) and obviously it is Off-Site. To satisfy the 3 copies rule I do a number of thing…

  1. I use Carbonite (Similar to Livedrive)
  2. I have a local hard disk that I back up to (but like all normal people, this is sporadic – in fact I think I will make a backup now!)
  3. My documents folder is replicated to Microsoft One Drive and to Cubby (this has the benefit of ensuring that a, my business partner and I always have the same files to work on and b, there is always a copy on my business partners laptop as well as mine (and yes, he uses Carbonite as well)).

Please see this short blog entry about how this setup saved my bacon!

What are your concerns and why do you want to have your data near you?

I will try and address major concerns below and hopefully cover yours.

  1. Is the data secure? That depends on what you mean by secure. If you mean “Safe from Loss”, then yes. Typically the backup provider will have data centres in secure locations and will duplicate your data on more than 1 location. If you mean “Can the backup provider see my files” the answer is “it depends”. With the provider I use (Carbonite) the data is encrypted from me to them. I believe it is encrypted on their servers. I have chosen to let them manage the keys, which allows me to use the apps to access my data from anywhere. I do have the option to manage the keys myself. This means that they CANNOT see any of my data, but also means that a, I cannot use the apps they provide and b, I have to manage the keys (if I lose them I am in deep trouble).
  2. How quickly can I get to my data? Well. That is dependent on your internet connection and how much data you have. Some backup providers will ship you a DVD or disk with your data on (for a fee). This is where a local backup helps.

Summary

In short Internet Backup Good!

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