The "Top 10 Best Cloud Backup Companies" Reviewed!

Backing up your files to the cloud is now a must for all computer users. Cloud backup allows you to backup your whole computer online so you can easily access your files from anywhere at anytime. Never lose or be without your files again. There are new cloud backup companies coming out every month it seems so which ones should you trust with your data? We have tested over 50 of the world’s leading cloud backup providers and allowed users add feedback on their experiences with the providers. We have created this free guide so you can choose the best cloud backup provider based on speed, space, cost, support, ease-of-use and most importantly reliability and security. Below is our current top 10 best cloud backup providers.

Updated on 17th May 2012

The Top 10 Best Cloud Backup List

Rank	Company	Price	Storage	Money Back	Performance	Score	Review
		FREE (Limited Time)	Unlimited	Anytime		98%
2		$4.95	Unlimited	Anytime		95%
3		$7.95	2TB	14-Day		93%
4		$4.95	Unlimited	Anytime		89%
5		$9.95	60GB	None		88%
6		$9.95	50GB	None		85%
7		$9.95	20GB	None		88%
8		$8.25	Unlimited	Non-refundable		84%
9		$9.99	50GB	None		83%
10		$9.99	50GB	30 Days		81%

View Our In Depth Comparison Chart

Why Cloud Backup?

With most homes now totally relying on their PC to store all their photos, videos, music and documents Cloud Backup is a must, especially with increasing computer viruses and hard drive crashes due to inferior components continually being used by big brand suppliers.

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The Sky Is Full Of Clouds
The sky maybe full of white fluffy clouds where you are, but in the land of cloud backup the sky is getting pretty thick too. With new cloud backup providers hitting the market almost weekly it begs the question, what is cloud backup? Cloud backup is the process by which you store copies of your computer files on an encrypted file server in a remote location through a third party in order to protect them, access them and share them with ease. By backing up your files to an online data storage centre you are doing what is known as storing them 'in the cloud.' The term cloud has been adopted as it is representative of the idea that your files are stored in the ether from which you can pluck them at anytime via any internet ready device. Once stored in the cloud your files can be accessed anytime, anywhere via your PC, Laptop, Tablet or smartphone. If, for example, you store your music collection in the cloud you would be able to access it all whenever you wanted rather than rely on the memory capacity of your mp3 player. The same would apply to your films, photographs and work. Cloud backup also makes sharing your files with other easier. Gone are the days of emailing individual files to friends and family, now you can email them one link and grant them access to a who album of photo's or songs in one easy step. The other function of cloud backup is to protect your files. Online storage is without question the safest way to house your files. Encrypted on upload and during storage, your files remain in a jumbled state until the time which you choose to download them. By doing this they are protected from viruses, hackers and unwanted access. From this simple explanation alone it is easy to see why cloud backup is on the increase, as our production of data increases so does our need to protect it.

Cloud Backup Could Be The Answer
As data loss becomes an ever increasing headline in our daily lives, it begs the question, if the common man has got to grips with cloud backup, why on earth haven't businesses? Data loss in the USA costs businesses between 2 & 5% of their annual revenue every year. I would bet my data on it that this equates to way more than the cost of a good cloud backup provider. So why the delay? Some might say fear of the unknown. Companies who are storing vital data are always going to be hesitant to hand over their files to a newcomer in the data storage game when they continue to use their traditional methods and hope for the best. The problem is as technology develops and the way in which we use computers and the internet diversifies so are our means of taking care of our files. Cloud backup is a safe and secure way to protect your files against loss, theft and damage. It also grants you advantages simply not possible by predecessors. Financial grade encryption is the key feature for businesses looking to backup as it protects your data from hackers and viruses. It can also help prevent data loss, if for example an disgruntled employee were to go rogue and try and steal, destroy or tamper with files. Another key advantage of cloud backup for businesses is automated backup. By scheduling backups to take place at a frequency suitable to your output you know longer have to rely on your staff to remember to backup your files. These two features of cloud backup maybe seem relatively minor, but they could save businesses millions of dollars a year in lost revenue. Cloud backup isn't something to be afraid of, a good provider should be able to offer 99.99% safety, meaning your files couldn't be in safer hands. Cloud backup is the future, all you have to do is sign up.

Cloud Backup, it couldn't be simpler!
Cloud backup, honestly couldn't be simpler. Gone are the days of external hard drives having to be linked up every time you wanted to store a copy of something new. Gone are the days of having to copy as many files as you could to a succession of CDs in order to keep them for backup or to share them with a friend. If the 21st century has given us nothing else (dramatization) it has given us cloud backup. The easiest and most secure way to store our data. Cloud backup offers us security, syncing and sharing opportunities not possible by standard backup means. Files stored within the cloud are encrypted to prevent damage from viruses, loss at the hands of hard drive failure or from simple human error. How often have you hit delete by accident, with no means of resurrection? As well as keeping your data safely backed up on a remote server away from its origin, cloud storage can take the hassle out of manually backing up your data thanks to it automated backup feature. By scheduling your PC to backup to the cloud on a regular basis, specific for your needs you will never have to think about backing up again. This simple feature will ensure that if something were to happen to your PC or laptop you could restore it to the same point as your most recent backup. Set up for this feature usually  involves no more than a few clicks to get started and once that is complete, that's it! Other features of cloud backup include the ability to share files with friends and family with ease. Cloud backup means you no longer have to upload individual files to an email in order to share them with a friend or colleague. Instead you can send them one email with a URL on it granting them access to those particular files in your cloud. This feature is great if you relatives who live abroad or are traveling yourself. You can share whole folders of photographs in the click of a button. The greatest feature of the cloud, other than its simplicity is it's ability to be accessed by any internet ready device. This means you can sync your phone, laptop and home PC to all backup to the same cloud. This means that you can have access to all your files at anytime, from anywhere in the world. This too just takes a few clicks. Data storage may seem like a daunting task but I can assure you, there is nothing simpler than backing up to a cloud.

Cut Your 'Things To Do List' with PC Backup
I don't know about you but my 'things to do' list  grows daily yet no matter how much I try to keep on top of it there are always things which I note as 'I'll do that tomorrow.' Complete PC Backup was inevitably always one of these things until I subscribed to an online PC backup system. Thanks to the features on PC backup, I can finally cross 'Complete PC Backup' off of my list. Automated backup is a standard feature of cloud backup, after installation you can programme your PC to backup as frequently as you require. Whether it is daily or weekly, online PC backup means you never have to worry about data loss as all your files will have been backed up to the cloud. But this isn't the only advantage to PC backup. By backing up my files online, I can access them via any internet ready device. This feature helps me cross multiple things off of my 'things to do' list. I no longer have to remember to email myself files from home to the office or transfer them to a USB stick, lend it to someone and then remember to get it back. Another thing I can cross off my list of 'things to do' courtesy of PC backup is 'send my Mum my holiday snaps.' PC backup has a file sharing feature which means instead of having to upload each photo, one by one and email them across to her, I can send her one email with a URL on it, which will allow her access to them all, which she can peruse at her leisure. 'Things To Do' lists are the bane of modern day life but PC backup can help you cross off more than one item!

New Challenges Facing Cloud Backup
As data production is set to exceed 1.8 billion zettabytes this year, the pressures on online storage are without question going to reach astronomic proportions. In addition to this, cloud backup providers are also facing another challenge. Demands from their users. As information about online storage and cloud computing fills pages and pages of web copy every hour, and our need for storage continuously increases, cloud backup users are becoming less and less content with the provisions on offer. They are no longer content with just knowing what security provisions are in place, what level of encryption is used and whether or not automated backup comes as standard. Users of online storage are now demanding the addition of, Continuous Data Protection, De-duplication, Faster Recovery Speeds and Bare Metal Recovery as standard. Whilst some cloud backup providers already offer some of these features, they are not standard yet. To work out which online cloud backup provider is best for you then I suggest you do your research before handing over your cash. You need to make sure that you are going to be signing up to a cloud backup provider who is going to grow as you grow. This is especially prevalent for businesses who are looking to backup as their increase in data storage needs will far exceed those of personal users.     As the pressure grows from users though cloud backup providers will have to up their game in order to meet demands.  

Cloud Backup – The Future of Business IT?
In a new report released last week by Gartner, it has been suggested that by as soon as 2014 the cloud will become the dominant form of computing for business. The concept of the cloud means businesses everywhere will be able to adopt a new, more flexible, way of working. By implementing cloud backup into your business, you remove the constraints of the traditional office and instead replace them with a malleable workforce who can choose how and where they work. By uploading all your data into a third party cloud backup service, you not only improve its security by storing it off site but you also save money by reducing your outgoings on hardware and software. As cloud backup services continue to improve their functionality and storage capabilities it is easy to see how in 2 years time cloud computing is going to be the universal answer to data management and business computing. But it might not be just for business though, Steve Kleynhans, research vice-president at Gartner, said: "Emerging cloud services will become the glue that connects the web of devices that users choose to access during the different aspects of their daily life." The more mobile we become the more important being able to access our files on the move will be too, whether that be for business or pleasure. By backing up everything into a cloud we dispel the idea that your PC is the centre of the universe, instead everything is in the sky and we just need to grab it.

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