But if you lose your passphrase for that key, you've lost access to all your backup data, and the service won't be able to help.

If you're storing sensitive data, you may want to choose a service that lets you use your own encryption key so the data isn't accessible if the cloud provider has a data breach. 'Make sure that the vendor you're choosing has a backup recovery time that is appropriate for you,' says Dominique West, technical account manager at the cloud monitoring service Datadog. It's also important to look at the amount of storage offered and make sure it's appropriate for your needs.Ĭloud backup companies might not be able to restore your system immediately. When you're choosing a cloud backup option, you'll want to consider what the company will charge if you need to restore all your data, and any limitations there might be on the number of computers you can use. You have two broad options for maintaining copies of your files online: cloud backup services and cloud storage services. That backup plan also comes in handy if your computer and external drive are both damaged by a power surge or malware. That way, if a natural disaster wipes out your computer and external hard drive, you can restore your files using an off-site service. The three places are typically a computer, an external hard drive, and a cloud service.

'The best advice around backup is to have it in three different places,' says Sean Metcalf, founder and chief technical officer of Trimarc Security, a company in Washington, D.C., that helps organizations secure their Microsoft platforms. Another option is to store them in the cloud, which is made up of remote servers you access online.

But even backing up files to an external hard drive on your desk isn't always enough. If you've ever accidentally deleted or overwritten an important file, spilled a cup of coffee on your computer, or had a laptop that was lost or stolen, you understand the importance of backing up important files.

Personal cloud backup services