Comment On-line backup works somewhat more complex (Score 1) 422
I work for a company who creates software for on-line data backup. Just to answer a few questions posted across this discussion:
1. Backup on-line is not like a cd-copy. You will never send your whole data across. Any good software would have at least the smarts to send only changed files, and even for changed files it should send only changed portions of the file (either block-level or some even claim byte-level incrementals). This means it may take a few days/weeks for the initial backup, however after this you never overload the internet connection. Protecting 100-200 GB of data over a DSL connection is not that unusual (of course, you wait for full restores in this case, but most software should offer some portable disk equivalent).
2. Most software is indeed similar web/gui on the web. This is because only a few companies make the software, however other companies ("Service Providers" actually host it and offer it). My company for example never offers the service hosted by us. We only develop the software.
1. Backup on-line is not like a cd-copy. You will never send your whole data across. Any good software would have at least the smarts to send only changed files, and even for changed files it should send only changed portions of the file (either block-level or some even claim byte-level incrementals). This means it may take a few days/weeks for the initial backup, however after this you never overload the internet connection. Protecting 100-200 GB of data over a DSL connection is not that unusual (of course, you wait for full restores in this case, but most software should offer some portable disk equivalent).
2. Most software is indeed similar web/gui on the web. This is because only a few companies make the software, however other companies ("Service Providers" actually host it and offer it). My company for example never offers the service hosted by us. We only develop the software.