“My documents will not open, a virus has attacked my computer!”

This was the case with university students last month after a deadly virus which corrupted word documents spread around an institution. It was terrible news. Most had no backups of their files and this virus attack was so severe that once it struck, no file could ever be restored. Imagine if this was you. Losing all your important company files, lecturer’s assignments, scanned documents and even critical data you were using to manage important projects. This would be utter dismay, and since the virus is still circulating, you might never know, tomorrow it might be you.

Gone are the days we had to rely only on external storage devices such as memory sticks and hard drives. Nowadays, an online backup solution is critical. Through generating online backups, the stress of losing information due to theft, damage and virus attacks is gone, you can be assured of reliable safekeeping of your files. Despite an online backup service being a sensible solution, most users have not yet accepted it due to a couple of factors:

First and foremost, security.

As much as users dislike the thought of their hardware being corrupted by a virus attack or damage, they are worried about how safe an online backup service would be if they wanted to store information. Would it not compromise their privacy by allowing malicious hackers to pry into their documents online? The good news is online backup solutions come equipped with a privacy tool known as encryption that ensures maximum protection of files from prying eyes online. Encryption is a method used to change files from being readable, to being unreadable. An example of such a service in Zimbabwe is Frampol’s Databank. With Databank, a user can see that files have been backed up but once they are uploaded on the cloud they are securely encrypted. After the user has decrypted the data using a well-guarded password, the files become readable again.

So are online backup services secure? Yes they are. In fact with encryption they are the safest way of backing up your data.

Secondly, how reliable and efficient is uploading and downloading backed up files?

This depends on the backup service you are using and your internet connection. Online data backup services rely on working internet so be sure to have a reliable service provider. In terms of the type of backup service offered, using international platforms such as Dropbox which carry international traffic, uses more bandwidth and will take more time to back up and download files than using a local provider. Moreover, a locally owned online backup solution provider takes less time in responding to your queries and concerns as well as providing much needed hands on training.

Frampol is offering free product try outs of its online backup solution. Get first hand experience of how such a service works. Email [email protected] today to order your free demo or visit our website at www.frampolcloud.co.zw.