Cloud backup recommendations

[philosopher]

For the longest time I've been a windows user, but recently installed mint. I'm digging it and trying to determine equivalent programs/software for mint. I'm currently using Carbonite on my Windows 10 partition which auto backs up everything as it changes. Carbonite isn't available for mint, so I'm looking for recommendations from anyone that uses cloud for total computer back up. I did a bit a research and saw there's several programs, but looking for opinions for those that have actually have used the programs.

[AZgl1800]

IMO,

Cloud based backups are 'BAD', Really Bad, as they put your stuff "out there" to be hacked.
And, they require that you always have access to the Internet,
and pushing gBytes of data upstream is a huge cost factor,
for me, and most of the world, uploading that much data will totally demolish my internet connection.

My DSL is limited to 900 kbps uploads, and when that is maxed out, like huge uploads are ( pictures, etc ) I loose the internet simply because a Request for a new website can't get thru, and downloads aren't able to be made, because the "Ack" packets don't make it back to the servers.

extUSB HDD are the best way to go, separate from the PC/laptop and can be stored in a safe place.

my laptop has about 80gB of stuff on it, uploading that to a Cloud Server at 900 kbps is asinine, near totally impossible.

My USB 3 HDD can transfer data at ~300 mbps

[AndyMH]

Agreed, stay away from the cloud - security/privacy/speed.

I have three backup routes, slowest = Synology NAS, faster = ext USB3 HDD, fastest = SATA3 HDD sat in the ultrabay of the laptop. I use all three.

[wallyUSA]

I prefer local external backup. It is disconnected when not in use. This gives me protection (from me AND others)!

[philosopher]

Agreed, stay away from the cloud - security/privacy/speed.

I have three backup routes, slowest = Synology NAS, faster = ext USB3 HDD, fastest = SATA3 HDD sat in the ultrabay of the laptop. I use all three.

The only issue I have with local back ups attached to a computer if someone were to break in they can take it with them. From what I've seen, NAS are wired. Any way to set up a wireless NAS to place it in a hidden place so that if someone were to break in, they won't take it? Then ideally I can set up auto back up to "set it and forget it".

[smurphos]

Mmm - any foolproof backup system needs redundancy and a key part of that redundancy is an off-site backup in case of fire/flood or similar disaster at the primary location of your physical back-ups

Some people may be lucky enough to have access to an off-site backup solution solely under their control but for most a third-party Cloud solution is the obvious off-site redundancy option so I think 'Cloud is baaaaad' responses are not particularly helpful. Depending on your levels of paranoia and the sensitivity of what you are backing up using sensible encryption and backing up your data pre-encrypted should mostly mitigate concerns about security whoever the provider is.

Recommendations? Not specifically - I've garnered a couple of hundred GB of free Google Drive storage via various offers and promotions over the years and also use ChromeOS and Android so I use Google Drive out of convenience. I'm happy with the potential risks. I use rclone and rclonebackup on Mint to manage syncing with my Mint machines.

I should add that the data from all my devices is also backed up locally - on 3 different drives....

[KBD47]

I believe in backing important things up as many times as humanly possible
I use Dropbox which has a client for Ubuntu/Mint. They only offer 2gb free which I use for current documents I'm working on with a word processor. So 2gb is plenty for that. I back up photos and other important files at Box. Stuff I don't mind Google sticking its nose in is on Google Drive, and I use usb sticks and computer hard drives for multiple back ups.

[AndyMH]

The only issue I have with local back ups attached to a computer if someone were to break in they can take it with them. From what I've seen, NAS are wired.

It's sat in the attic, if they find it they're welcome - so many boxes in the way, not to mention the spiders

[philosopher]

The only issue I have with local back ups attached to a computer if someone were to break in they can take it with them. From what I've seen, NAS are wired.

It's sat in the attic, if they find it they're welcome - so many boxes in the way, not to mention the spiders

Hahaha... so it is hardwired I assume??

[AndyMH]

Yes, other half asked me to build an extension, ended up doing most of the house - ceilings down, new plasterboard on all walls, etc. So took the opportunity to put cat5 through the whole house.

[skunkarific]

I use pcloud for files up to 10GB, it's multi platform, and for large cloud based, I got an S3 account at Amazon, and use a program called Duplicati to back up to it. I have 256 bit AES encryption to hide my muffin recipes from prying eyes.

[wallyUSA]

What is the difference between cloud online backup and regular online backup?

What do you mean by 'regular online backup'? Is it a service or a program? Where is the 'backup' stored?

[royphotog]

I use several cloud services, Mega (50GBs free) for storage and syncing of many of my docs, pCloud for files that I share with customers and google for storage and backing up of my WordPress websites.

[Faust]

I favor the 3-2-1 security rule .

3 backups
2 stored locally , ideally on different media
1 stored off-site , always .

IMO cloud storage is for the birds ....
" Cloud " means on someone else's server
" Cloud " means not under my command and control

[AndyMH]

Faust - I couldn't agree more! You can't have too many backups.

[MtnDewManiac]

The only issue I have with local back ups attached to a computer if someone were to break in they can take it with them.

I see. So your COMPUTER is stored off-site, then, lol? Or do you suppose a thief would bypass that and go on a scavenger hunt for your backup device instead of just carting off the source?

Regards,
MDM

[chiefjim]

IMO,

...Cloud based backups are 'BAD', Really Bad, as they put your stuff "out there" to be hacked.
...And, they require that you always have access to the Internet,
...and pushing gBytes of data upstream is a huge cost factor,

...extUSB HDD are the best way to go, separate from the PC/laptop and can be stored in a safe place.

...My USB 3 HDD can transfer data at ~300 mbps

Similar approach here. USB docking station(s). Hard drives remain un-powered until needed. Stored on the shelf safe from transient electric surges. GRSYNC makes regular backups simple and quick.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

WOW! I'm amazed--no, make that stunned--at some of the bad information being given here!

First, there is a difference between cloud storage and cloud backups. Cloud storage is just that; storage. You have to upload the data yourself (or use a program to do it for you). Unless you encrypt it, it will not be encrypted and, if the storage site gets hacked, your information will be readable. If the cloud storage site loses your data, it's gone and lost forever. Most cloud data storage sites simply are not as secure and/or reliable as good cloud backup services; this is especially true for the free and cheap sites which have a reputation for disappearing with inadequate or no warning. Some sites (cough Google cough) will actually spy on your data and sell it to others. Btw, I trust Mega as far as I can spit upwind in a Class 5 hurricane.

A cloud backup service, on the other hand, puts software on your automatically uploads your data to the service's servers, encrypting it before it ever leaves your computer. Once on the servers, any changes in the data stored there, such as editing or deletion, will result in the changed or deleted data being held for a certain amount of time, depending on the service provider, a process called Versioning.

Most cloud backup services are very reliable and safe. Their encryption schemes are very secure, they have armed guards protecting their facilities, they have backup generators and AC systems, etc. to protect against data loss. Businesses, small and large, very frequently use cloud backups, even if they have their own local backups. Business class cloud backup plans use geo redundancy. Geo redundancy means data is replicated on multiple servers located physically hundreds of miles from each other. This way, if one server farm is destroyed somehow (extremely unlikely but meteor strikes, terrorist attacks, war, etc. do happen), the data will still exist elsewhere. However, business class plans are expensive. Consumer cloud backup plans are usually more affordable but do not have geo redundancy.

Since data sent to a cloud backup service is encrypted, only people holding the encryption key can access it. Most plans will give you the option of letting the backup service manage the key (the option generally recommend for for individuals and small business) or to let the owner of the plan maintain the key, and option that ensures that even three letter agencies will not be able to easily see your data.

Cloud backups do have disadvantages. They cost money, the amount of which will vary between cloud backup service and the type of plan one pays for. They require a fairly fast internet connection (costs more money), the amount of bandwidth needed varying by the amount of data that will need to be uploaded on any given day. The initial backup can take a long time if a lot of data is involved and the same is true if a lot of data needs to be recovered.

I used Carbonite for several years back when I was on Win 7 and it was pretty reliable but I dropped when they moved their tech help and customer service off shore (Jamaica) and the quality of service plummeted downhill. Also, Carbonite didn't support Linux, as the OP pointed out. Crashplan dropped their consumer service plans and replaced them with a "Small Business Plan" that was essentially the same paid service they provided before but at double the cost. I tried it out for a short while since they claimed to support Linux but their GUI was replaced with a flaky one that gave the user less control over how it worked, the upload speeds were slow and varied in speed, often stalling for hours to days at a time. There tech "help" was completely useless. I finally pulled the plug after a few months.

Backblaze had the only other affordable consumer cloud backup plan left. Although I never tried them, they have an excellent reputation for reliability and security. Unfortunately, they do not directly support Linux, meaning there are no affordable, Linux compatible cloud backup plans for consumers.

A common misconception is RAID is a backup. That simply is not true. RAID 1 and up is redundancy and all redundancy (as well as non-RAID redundancy schemes) is intended to do is protect from data loss due to HDD/SSD failure and allow a computer to keep chugging along if one or more drives (depending on the failure tolerance of the RAID or other redundancy scheme). This is not to say redundancy is a bad thing--it is not and there are plenty of good reasons to have redundancy--but it is NOT a backup.

Drive failure is not the only way to lose data. Viruses and other malware can destroy data and any drive connected in or to the computer at the time of the infection will also get infected (fortunately, that is not a huge risk with Linux). PSUs can fail and, if they do so catastrophically, they can overvolt any drives in the computer, frying them. The same can happen if a current surge or voltage spike (especially a nearby lightning strike to the power line) blows through any surge protection you have, frying your drives. Fire, flood, wind, etc. can destroy computers, taking data with them. HDDs can be fatally damaged if the computer, NAS, etc. gets knocked to the floor by a clumsy adult or rambunctious kids or pets. Thieves can make off with computers and other repositories of data. A common cause of data loss is user error, such as accidentally deleting something, borking the computer, etc. (hey, we've all done it at some time or another).

The only way to ensure data is reasonably safe is for it to exist in three separate places. Usually, this is on the computer, on an onsite external backup drive, and on an external offsite backup drive. For a drive to be a backup drive, it must be kept disconnected from the computer, kept powered down, and stored out of sight of the computer. If it is kept connected to the computer and running, it will only be redundancy and will provide protection only from drive failure (only up to a point). A NAS or DAS that runs all the time, is near the computer, and is kept connected to the network or computer is not a backup; it is only redundancy. If wasn't for the lack of affordable cloud backups for Linux, a cloud backup could be used for an offsite back up or to supplement an offsite backup.

Since there aren't any good, affordable cloud backup solutions, I don't recommend using it with Linux but that doesn't mean all cloud backups are bad.