If you are like most normal computer users, you probably have some very sensitive data stored on your computer. This could be anything from digital photographs, music files, financial data, scanned images etc. If you have thought about the possibility that your PC will crash, you need to sit up straight now.  If you havebeen religiously backups of your pc using a thumb drive or even an external backup drive, then you are a bit ahead of your fellowmen. But really..  is this the best solution to protect the data on your PC ?

I am here to tell you that backing up your data to an external hard drive or thumb drive is definitely not the best way to protect your data.

Imagine this : A fire or natural disaster like an earthquake or tornado , or even a burglar strikes your home it till take away both your computer and your backup device. Unless you are extremely meticulous and careful enough to remove the backup device from the proximity of your computer soon. I would imagine only a very very small percentage of people give thought to this scenario.

Come to think of it.. there is surely a better way to backup your computer – its called an online PC backup service

These services lets you backup the important data on your PC to a backup server using your internet connection on your computer. Its both secure, safe and dependable. Some of the salient features of an online pc backup service :
- The data from your computer is encrypted and sent over the internet to a remote location where the data center of the service is located.
- Some backup services will even send your backup data on a DVD in case of a complete breakdown of your PC.

Now lets explore some of the major features one by one:

So how can you be sure that only you can see your sensitive data ? The answer is encryption.

Encryption:
The PC backup service uses a software that automatically encrypts your data BEFORE its sent over the internet. The encryption algorithm is extremely complex and you need a digital key to both encrypt and decrypt the information. The encrypted files are so secure that nobody(including the service provider) can open it. The digital key is generated by a program that is run on your computer, the backup service provides this program.

Secure communication:
In addition to encryption most PC backup services use secure connections – which creates a secure tunnel over the internet to send your files to the datacenter. One of the require

Physical security of the Datacenter
Where your data center is located is also important. Is that location safe from natural disasters, do they backup the servers ? How is their support ? Most data centers are located in data centers built like a fortress. They protected by gated perimeter access, 24 x 7 x365 on-site staffed security and technicians, electronic card key access, and strategically placed, monitored by security personnel and cameras 24 hours a day. Well these are a few of the things you need to know and learn about a PC Backup service. There are lots more to learn to keep your data protected and available anytime you need. Compare online PC Backup Services at http://www.remotebackupsites.com

Author Tom Romano is a technical writer and gadget geek. He writes on blogs and maintains many websites dedicated to technology. Visit his site dedicated to data retrieval and backup.