When I first started using computers in the mid 90s, I didn’t know what ‘back up’ meant. I really didn’t. My first pc was a notebook 486 which lasted a while, but one day the system died and wouldn’t reboot. Sorry, your data is gone! Woops!

My second pc was a desktop system actually but in those CD writers were the stuff of fantasy, and I hadn’t really learned my lesson on data backup. One day, I turned on the system and … nothing. No boot up sounds. Stone dead. Sorry, your hard disk is gone.

It was at that point I started to get serious about backing up data. I bought a zip drive with 100MB capacity and a half dozen disks. Now that worked well for a while, but then the data began to grow… Suddenly I didn’t have enough space.

So by then I invested in a CD writer as they were quite affordable by then. It worked well. For a while. But then I began to have another problem: I had copies of copies of copies of CDs. I didn’t mark them clearly enough. Then soon, my data needed several disks, then more to back up safely. Yikes. Confusing reigned.

I’m now looking at IBackup – Online Backup and Storage as a way to provide for the present and future growth. Now with a business, and five systems (all used by people who don’t know what backup means!), I’m facing a nightmare situation, so I’m considering using online storage as a way to conveniently update regularly and automatically.

IBackup is offering a number of options that are attractive for internet users: with software that operates like Explorer (in Windows) and options to save data that is typically overlooked in general back up software, such as data in Outlook Express or Outlook, using wizards. There are even downloads for Linux Users, but oddly nothing for a Mac User.

While the pricing is not as cheap as as an extra hard drive nor as big, the storage solution offers a convenience factor in that you do not have to care what happens to the stored date once it’s placed on the service. That’s their job. I’m all in favor of offloading tasks on other people! It’s definitely an economical use of MY time!

My only real criticism of the service is the space size. These days 1GB isn’t that much. A few hundred photos or songs. A presentation can run big, too! If it were my place, I’d multiply the size by a factor of 10 or even 100. Now that would be a good amount at a great price!

This post is sponsored by IBackup.com.