June 23, 2008

Sugarsync (www.sugarsync.com) is one of the online storage system offerings that are out there, and I recently had the opportunity to test the service out. This feature-rich product is more than just an offsite storage system; Sugarsync not only allows you to sync your computer with the online backups, but allows you to sync files across multiple computers, access your data from anywhere, including your mobile phone, and provides both dynamic and static storage spaces.

sugar_sync

Everyone knows the importance of keeping good backups of your computer data, especially anyone who’s ever lost data due to a hard drive crash, natural catastrophe, or any other reason. Many people, however, don’t back their data up regularly; it can be a time-consuming process that’s not always easily automated. This is one of a series of articles we’re doing on ways to backup your data. Read our previous article for an overview of different backup strategies available.

As mentioned in the referenced article, an online storage site (OSS) is one option for performing backups. I like the idea for several reasons. First, you have access to your data no matter where you are, as long as you have access to a computer. Secondly, while using a home server or external hard drive will give you the ability to recreate your data if your PC should crash, what if a natural disaster, for example, prevented you from accessing your backups? Floods, earthquakes, or tornadoes could hinder you from reaching your backups, even if only temporarily. With an OSS, your data will be safe and accessible, as long as you have access to the Internet. Even in the event that the OSS is hit by a catastrophe, any good OSS will have redundant sites, with multiple copies of your data at each site. An OSS is a viable solution only if you have fast internet access, though; dial-up or slower speed access would render this type of backup unusable.

How it Works: Once you’ve signed up for the service, you’re provided with your own website address, i.e., username.sugarsync.com, which is …

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