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Today on Episode 6 of the podcast I am going to talk about File Sync Services vs Backup Services.

There are many cloud-based services now offering to store your files in the cloud. Some are file sync services, and some are cloud-based. What is the difference and why is it important that you know the differences.

Some examples of file sync services include Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive. These services allow you to store your files in the cloud as well as syncing them to your various computers and devices.

For example, the podcast note I’m using for this podcast is stored using Onedrive. I started the note on my Macbook and I am currently viewing on it on my Windows PC. The file automatically synced across the two devices as I made changes to it.

Backup services include BackBlaze, Carbonite and Spideroak. These services back up your files to the cloud and then allow you to access them to restore data either via an app or via a web browser.

On the surface both services sound similar, the main danger to that thinking involves file sync. If we use the example of my podcast notes, if I delete the file from my laptop, the file sync service will then delete the file in the cloud as well as on my Windows PC. In some cases, there may be a way to restore it, but it is not guaranteed.

If I use a backup service I can restore that file from the last time it was backed up. Many services offer versioning which allows me to restore from several previous versions of the file.

It’s perfectly fine to use both kinds of services but knowing the difference between file sync and backup services will make things safer for your data.

Thank you for listening to the podcast today.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes or Google Play If you have any comments, suggestions or questions please email me at feedback@sclarkconsulting.ca .