So how do you restore a few files or folders?

Based on the FAQ on Carbonite’s website, it’s easy to retrieve any file or folder from your backup with just a few clicks.

Step 1: Double-click on the ‘Carbonite Backup Drive’ shortcut on your desktop and open the ‘Backed up files’ folder, then navigate to the file or folder you want to retrieve from your backup. (If you don’t see a link to the Carbonite Backup Drive on your desktop, you can find it in your My Computer directory.) Double click the shortcut on your Desktop to open the Carbonite Backup Drive.

Step 2: Right-click on the file or folder and select ‘Restore’. It will automatically be downloaded from your backup and restored to its original location on your computer. If you want to restore a file or folder to a new location on your computer, you can click ‘Restore To…’ and select the location for your new file. Please note: If you do not see the ‘Restore’ or ‘Restore to…’ options listed when you right click on a file, it is because the file on your computer is identical to the file in your backup (therefore there is no need to restore the file.)

How do I restore all my files?

If you need to restore everything in your backup to a new or repaired computer, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in to your account and reinstall Carbonite Go the www.carbonite.com web site, click ‘Restore’, then log in using your email address and Carbonite password, and follow the instructions to reinstall Carbonite.

Step 2: Restore files from your backup When you’ve successfully reinstalled Carbonite on your new computer, you’ll see the Carbonite Restore Wizard. You can use the Restore Wizard to restore all the files in your backup to your new computer, or click on the Carbonite Backup Drive icon on your Desktop to browse for individual files and folders to restore.

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Backing up your data should be an essential part of your daily routine. Unfortunately for many businesses this simply isn’t the case. The only time data backup crosses their mind is when they have a hard disk crash or a serious spyware or virus infection. Unfortunately by this stage it’s already too late to do anything about it – the data is gone and you’re then looking at several hundred, if not several thousand, dollars to have the data rescued and restored.

The concept is simple – choose a data backup plan and stick to it.

The burning question on most IT managers minds is should the data be stored locally or remotely? To be fair this is the pivot point of all data backup plans. There are pros and cons to each method.

Local Data Backup

Most companies rely on either DVD, external hard disk or tape drive data backup solutions locally. These provide fast, cost effective storage for most small companies and are also very easy for even the IT novice to operate. In the case of any data being lost it’s simply a matter of restoring the data from a previous backup point and the user can then continue working.

The data, however, is only as safe as the building it’s in. What happens in the case of fire, burglary, flooding or storm damage? That’s right you just lost all your data backups in the blink of an eye.

Remote Data Backup

As an emerging industry remote data backup has really taken off. Most commonly remote file backup services allow you to log into a remote drive and via a web based interface upload all your critical files. 5GB of storage space is the entry point for most of the remote data backup services and this is provided at a low cost. Knowing that your data is being stored in a secure facility that’s deliberately protected against harm allows you much greater peace of mind.

The weak point here however is the data transfer speed. Unless you’re operating a high speed LAN in your company then remote backup can be a complete waste of time as you’re tied to the maximum upstream speed of your network – which can be surprisingly slow depending on your IT infrastructure. Add in the issue of firewalls blocking uploads on certain ports and it can quickly become a real IT headache.

So how do achieve a Win-Win scenario? Blended backup! Look at utilizing both of these forms of backup. In an ideal world you’d store a local copy of your data and then upload an exact copy of that data to the remote file backup server. If money is an issue then store your bulk data locally but copy your mission critical data to the remote backup service. That way in the worst of disasters you’ll still have the data you need to actually function as a business. That’s not to say that bulk data such as archived email is not important but that old data could be recovered in time by a data recovery specialist whereas you mission critical data needs to be available at a moments notice.

Do you need help deciding which remote file backup solution is right for you. Visit our best online backup services comparison. Most will have free no-credit-card-required trial versions or even free remote backup space for 2GB of storage.