Data is of the utmost importance to me. My life is basically stored in a bunch of 1’s and 0’s on my hard drive and I shudder to think at the thought of what might happen if I lost it somehow. Anti-virus software protects you against viruses but that is no excuse to be prepared for other causes of damage.

Backing up your files is very easy to do nowadays with a lot of online backup and online storage options available, another option that you might be interested is from Backup Platinum whose software I recently accepted a sponsored review for. The views expressed here are my own after having installed and tried out the program myself.

Installation

It is just like they say it is, very easy to use. The installation was done in around a minute and I was ready to start backing up my files. You can basically backup to any type of storage media from hard drives, USB drives, CD-R/W or DVD ±R/RW media to your FTP server or LAN.

Options

Upon starting the program you are given the option to enter the item name for the group of files you will be backing up or synchronizing. Next you add your files, here you can filter out certain file types that maybe you don’t want to copy like system files, or just use the preset options offered. Then you specify the main backup destination and an alternate backup destination, if desired. You can assign it a username and password as well for protection.

The next options allow you to zip them up and encrypt with various ways to do so. I just choose to put it in a single zip archive, for testing purposes. I encourage you to download their backup solution and take advantage of their free trial of 30 days.

Scheduling

If you save your files in specific folders and need it to be backed up at the end of every day, you can schedule the software to do so and have it repeat as per your requirements. Once you have finished all those steps the backup job is added to your queue

Backing up

You simply select the job that you have in queue and press backup, voila that’s it. My 53MB folder of pictures was zipped up and placed on my desktop, which was the destination area I chose.

Interface

The interface of the software itself is very easy to understand and should not be a problem for even the most novice of computer users to get accustomed to.

Security

They use 128 bit encryption with Blowfish technology which has a 64-bit block size and a key length of anywhere from 32 bits to 448 bits. Designed in 1993 by Bruce Schneier it is one of the fastest block ciphers in widespread use. You can also run the software as an application in service mode to be accessible if other users are logged into the computer, supported systems are WIN XP/NT/2000.

I think the software itself is very flexible and gives you a lot of options to fulfill from the home user to the small business establishment.  With pricing for 1 unit to 9 units at $67 per unit it is a good investment to make for the security of your data. Volume offers available. For a comprehensive file backup solution Backup Platinum’s software is well worth it though it may be a bit expensive for the home user when they know they can get free options or for smaller fees like $4.95 a month.

Order details for File Backup Software.

Technorati Tags: file backup, online backup, software

About the author

Hyder has been blogging for the past two years on this blog. He started Weborithm, his web company, in 2007 and along with designing blogs and websites also releases various web related products.