The issue of backing up your important data is a topic of high interest for everyone dealing with critical data. Some time ago, i thougt about how to manage the backup of my daily documents as simple as possible. As my requirements, i name these:
- Most of my data is saved in more or less small text-like files
- I want to back up on various sources with only one step
- Storage capacity should be great enough for dealing with my files in a long term perspective
- Online backup for the purpose of a crash of my local system
And after a while, i came out with this simple, but (IMHO) powerful solution:
Create a Mailing List for your Backup Process.
So why? GMail as well as Yahoo Mail and others offer enough e-mail space for saving tons of stuff in there. So why don’t use it? The integrated search function makes it taste even more sweeter. :-) Just send one e-mail and back up in several locations. Automatic filter enable to label every e-mail (i.e. i use ‘contains <<backup>>’ in the subject) and being categorized in the backup-folder in your e-mail account.
Which providers to choose for backup is a question of everyone’s purposes and needs. While even services like box.net, Zoho or Google Docs offer an e-mail upload feature, the mailing list can be expanded as needed. Just a few recommondations for those who are not that deep in the topic:
- Yahoo Mail - unlimited storage
- GMail – several gigs, feels like unlimited storage
- GMX – the Mediacenter is also worth a look
- box.net – just send an e-mail to upload@box.net from your registered e-mail account
- Zoho – good GDocs alternative
- GDocs – has an e-mail file-upload, too.
Just one more thing: If you download your mail via POP, disable deleting the e-mails on the server. Otherwise, your mailing list is nothing more than a waste of traffic.