Computers make our home and work lives easier by putting the world at our fingertips. As more bits of our lives are saved on our computers, it’s more important than ever to safeguard the data they hold. We must back up our files regularly. Like brushing one’s teeth, everyone’s heard the lecture and knows it is important. For the dangers of not doing so can be awfully serious, because everything on your computer is at risk.

Everything means everything. That breakthrough novel you’ve been polishing for the last ten years, those priceless family photos your late Aunt Bessie let you scan and every single one ever snapped by your digital camera. All your business spreadsheets and tax records. Your digital music collection. Your saved email and address books. Even the locations of your favorite websites, including all your online accounts.

If something unfortunate happens, not only can your unique, irreplaceable files be lost, you’ll be at a loss even to tell anyone because all their email addresses will have disappeared, too.

Believe me, it only takes one grim morning looking at a blue screen with an error message saying that your hard drive won’t boot and an entire year’s work is gone forever for the need to back things up all the time to really sink into your bones.

Even though by then it’s definitely too late.

Yes, sometimes dead hard drives can be persuaded to give up their contents. But recovering files is time-consuming, messy, inherently uncertain, and very expensive. And mechanical failure is only one of the dangers your files face.

Backing up files is so easy to forget or put off, or simply too much of a hassle at the end of a long day, switching disks or tapes back and forth.

There’s also the question of how secure it should be. Just how safe is “safe enough”? A backup disk lying next to your computer might  help if your hard drive dies, but what if it gets stolen with your computer or the house burns down? And just what information should be duplicated and how often should it be done? How can you keep track of it all?

An ideal solution would be so simple, easy, and automatic that once it’s set up, it could be all but forgotten. The solution would not interfere with work, and it would store your backup files in a distant, secure but easily-accessible location. And it would be as inexpensive as it is effortless to use.

SWCP BUS is just that solution. Our new online backup service provide unparalleled security and peace of mind at a very low monthly cost. The client software installed on your computer will automatically backup just those files you want to our dedicated BUS servers, and only those files that have changed. This will be done as often or infrequently as you desire, at your convenience, on a schedule of your choosing.

Access is controlled by a password you choose, so your data is secure, but available to you online at any time from any location. All you need is your password and a browser. But just precisely what are the dangers to your files that require such protection?

The Hazards

Computer crashes. 

These come in two kinds – hardware and software. Hardware crashes are the ones people most fear, and though drives today are
generally very reliable, they still occasionally happen. A software crash is much more common. It happens when the operating system becomes so confused it can no longer function – even after rebooting. Repeated power failures or lockups can damage critical files to the point that sometimes the only way to recover is to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating
system. In the process, all application data will be lost unless the hard drive itself is not damaged. Then it may be possible to put it in another computer and recover the data. Even then, however, important files may have been corrupted beyond repair. Plus, it takes a lot of time.

To protect against crashes, data must be saved on a different media, be it another hard drive, tapes, CDs, etc. SWCP BUS saves your files on a remote system immune to your system’s problems.

Corruption. 

This can be anything that renders a file useless. Along with crashes this can include:

• Accidental deletion
• Application bugs
• Power failure while saving
• Accidentally saving changes and overwriting old data

Corrupt files pose a trickier problem than a crash as there are judgments involved. If you are using a backup strategy that automatically saves all changes to another drive as you go and you accidentally wipe something out, that change would be faithfully replicated on your backup. And with daily backups, a mistaken alteration that doesn’t get caught will be soon overwritten.

To protect against data corruption, you really need to backup not only your current document but earlier versions also. The number of generations is determined by cost and confidence. SWCP BUS can save as many as you feel you need. And deleted files are automatically stored longer “just in case”.

Theft. 

Laptops, being small and portable, are very susceptible to being stolen. But break-ins happen, too, and if your computer is ripped off, chances are any hard drives or tape drives connected to it at the time will be taken too. Insurance might cover the equipment, but not the data which could be literally priceless. Plus, if your old reliable tape drive is stolen, it might render your tapes useless, particularly if they are in an obsolete format. 

The SWCP BUS servers are in two secured locations and your data can be downloaded into any replacement computer.

Disaster. 

This can be anything from house fires, tornadoes and earthquakes to the bathtub overfilling upstairs and flooding your home office.

To protect against disasters, it is vital to have the copies of your data offsite, preferably in a safe location far away. You could make it a regular habit to physically take them to your safe place. But SWCP BUS can do it effortlessly online for you.

Home or Business?

SWCP BUS works great for both home and business. It can backup desktop computers, file and database servers, whole networks – even laptops.

The Bottom Line

SWCP BUS works with Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. It supports encryption and your data is also compressed before uploading to save time. For further security, it utilizes multi-level backup, saving your data on dedicated, redundant storage servers in two different data centers. Extra storage is available at great rates. Plus, it’s cheaper and more reliable than tape systems. And file restoration is always free of charge.

SWCP Bus comes in two separate plans: Desktop and Server. 

Desktop Plan – only $10/month

• Includes 2GB Online Storage.
• For fast backups, saves only changes.
• Volume Shadow Copy (except for Windows 2000).
• Broadband discount: only $7/month with SWCP broadband. 

Server Plan – $25/month

Supports all features of Desktop plan, plus:

• 15GB Online Storage.
• Advanced Server Software Backup for MS Exchange, MS SQL, Oracle, MySQL, Lotus Notes & Lotus Domino.
• Broadband discount: only $20/month with SWCP broadband.  

And as a special introductory offer, the normal $20 Setup Fee will be waived for new accounts only until July 1, 2008, so don’t delay. Sign up today, and sleep better tonight.