It is estimated that 80 percent of all business data is stored on computers. To protect that valuable investment, technology analysts suggest that all businesses use backup and recovery solutions to protect their information in case of a catastrophic event or computer system failure.rnrnrnIf a computer malfunctions, is lost or stolen, becomes infected with a virus, or if a file is mistakenly deleted, backup and restoration services allow for the easy retrieval of the lost or corrupted data with just a few mouse clicks.rnrnPreviously, offsite backup was the domain of only a privileged few who could afford the expense of a sophisticated online backup and retrieval system. A large number of providers however now offer online services that allow individuals and small businesses to back up their data securely offsite.rnrnThe advent of the offsite backup service provider is tremendously advantageous, since consumers can elect to store mission-critical data such as financial data and copies of their Web sites externally.rnrnAlthough there are several methods of accomplishing online backup and data retrieval, including expensive tape backup, the simplest method is for the consumer to install a backup package that has been pre-configured to connect to the service provider’s offsite servers (supplied by the offsite backup service provider).rnrnThis software will allow the individual or small business to select a number of customizable settings, including what directories and files to back up, how often to back them up and the number of file revisions to archive. Most backup services are transparent. Consequently, they take care of the complicated details such as server IP addresses, encryption levels, and secure authentication, so that consumers need only concern themselves with the important choices of what and when to back up.rnrnSmart services, such as those offered by Magma Communications (magma.ca) in Canada, actually provide backup services in the background. Magma’s DataSafe service allows end users to easily and automatically back up files on one or more computers to a remote backup server located in a secure Internet data center. Backups are fully automated and are completed in real-time in the background while the client computer is idle.rnrnOnce installed, Magma DataSafe runs continuously on the computer, waiting for the end user to make changes to selected files. Every time the consumer saves a new version of each file, DataSafe automatically uploads the new version to the backup server. This eliminates the need for scheduled backups and ensures that backup copies of critical files are always available.rnrnRunning DataSafe has no affect on the computer’s performance. Files are compressed and encrypted before they are sent to the remote backup server. This ensures efficient use of the Internet connection and ensures files cannot be accessed by anyone but by the specific consumer.rnrnDataSafe will store multiple versions of each file that is backed up. This enables users to restore previous versions of the files at anytime. The base price for 500 MB storage is approximately $5 per month. Five gigabytes of storage costs a little over $20 per month.rnrnAnother popular variation of the online, offsite backup service is IDrive, offered by IBackup (ibackup.com), a vendor that provides comparable backup and restoration services.rnrnIDrive is an application which when downloaded and installed will map an IBackup account as a network drive on the user’s computer. Users can then map, drag and drop files to their IBackup account from the Windows Explorer application. It also allows users to open and save files stored in their IBackup online backup/storage accounts directly from their associated applications like Microsoft Office. IDrive supports SSL encryption for data security.rnrnIDrive is popular because it integrates directly into a consumer’s desktop application environment. The service is also relatively inexpensive, as enhanced storage plans start at $15 per month for 4 GB of storage space.