Full-Featured Backup

Online backup services with business-friendly features

Several online backup services, including IDrive and SOS Online Backup, offer more features and customization. These sites provide enhanced file versioning and the ability to manage multiple users or back up a variety of computers. For most users, experts recommend a simple, easy-to-use backup service like MozyHome or CrashPlan. However, full-featured backup may be for you if you want more control over your data.

Among full-featured online backup services, SOS Online Backup (*Est. $80 per year for 50 GB) gets the best reviews. Up to five computers can be backed up with one account, and you can access your files from any computer with an Internet connection, as well as via iPhone and BlackBerry mobile apps. It will also back up your files locally to an external hard drive. SOS Online Backup offers robust sharing functionality, and you can send your files to others directly from the site's servers. Data is encrypted three times, including once with a 256-bit AES encryption and again via 128-bit SSL. If you need more storage, a 100 GB plan (*Est. $100 per year) is also available. Business accounts are available with storage up to 250 GB (*Est. $1,000 per year). Although these allow for backups of unlimited computers, they are probably overkill for most home users.

SOS Online Backup is more expensive than basic services, but reviewers say it offers significantly more functionality. "SOS, a pioneer in online backup, offers one of the most robust feature sets of any service, including the ability to back up as many versions of a file as you like," Dana Wollman writes at Laptop Magazine. Charles Jeffries at NotebookReview.com agrees, saying SOS Online Backup is "one of the more comprehensive suites we have tested." Wollman says the SOS interface strikes a good balance between ease of use and customization. Even though it offers lots of options, the interface won't confuse computer newbies. The restoration process is also pretty easy. 

The biggest downside, for some, is that SOS Online Backup is available only for Windows-based computers. Laptop Magazine reported that SOS would be releasing a beta client for Mac computers in 2010, but that has not materialized, at least not as of this update. Upload and download speeds can be slow, although that will depend on your Internet connection and how much data you have. In Computerworld.com's test, it took nearly 36 hours to back up 22 GB of data.

IDrive (*Est. $50 per year for 150 GB) is another option for those who want a full-featured online backup service. Once installed, IDrive begins automatically backing up common files -- documents, pictures and video files -- although you can customize when and what IDrive backs up. IDrive also saves up to 30 previous versions of each file. You can manage multiple accounts and retrieve your data from any computer. IDrive offers a basic account, which gives you 5 GB of free storage. Businesses or those with multiple computers can opt for subscriptions for up to 1,000 GB (*Est. $80 per month) of storage. IDrive is compatible with Macs and PCs.

Most reviewers are impressed with IDrive's array of features. Besides drag-and-drop support for restoring files, the IDrive software allows you to search for particular files within any backup set. IDrive also has an unusual Timeline Restore feature that can restore your data to how it was on any given date. Backups can occur at fixed time intervals, or you can opt to be backed up continuously, so any changes you make are saved immediately.

IDrive doesn't have the sleekest interface, especially compared to SOS Online Backup, but reviewers say it's made some real improvements in the last few years. "I'm really impressed with the changes IDrive has made in their service, especially in the improved Web interface," Michael Muchmore writes at PCMag.com. However, Muchmore still prefers SOS Online Backup (an Editors' Choice winner at PCMag.com), which he says "still offers a solution that's both simpler and more complete." Several reviewers also say they wish that IDrive offered unlimited storage.