Best online backup

Hi,
there are tons of different online backup services and I will hardly tell you which one is the best.
I can help you just with a couple of comparison links found in google:
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2288745,00.asp
https://www.lifewire.com/online-backup-services-reviewed-2624712
https://www.lifewire.com/online-backup-comparison-2617891

Hope it helps a little bit.

OneDrive is not a backup application nor does it allow for archival retention of files. If the file changes on one machine, that file will be replicated to all other machines that synchronize to the same share. It is a way to have ready access to files from multiple machines.

I agree with davorin that the best backup for you might not be the same for me as our needs could be very different. Pick one based on your requirements and acceptable price point. Don't go for the best priced solution rather go for the one that will be around beyond tomorrow. Backup services are popping up all over and they dissappear just as quickly. If you cannot recover because Joes Backup Service went out of business, you could have saved that money by not bothering.

I have used Carbonite for years on several computers and mobile devices and have been very pleased.
https://www.carbonite.com

Gather other recommendations for people who actually use the products and weigh in on the options and features against your needs and then choose "the best"

Most, including OneDrive has file versioning. DropBox with pack mule gives you a whole year. It is version history that is most important in a backup method to protect against something like Ransomware.

The most common pitfall is that most only do files within the actual sync'ed folder, hubiC is an example of one that you can simply right-click a folder and select backup.

In any event, any Cloud storage can be made to function this way by junction folders

Thanks for the comments. I could use Carbonite but what would happen if I synchronise the whole pc on One Drive. Can one do that?

I use OneDrive and OneDrive for Business as well as DropBox and Google Drive. The hazards of clients not all agreeing on the same file sharing methods. I use Carbonite to make backups of all. I have only minimal issue when using one of my development apps where it complains about all of the file access when the files are being edited. In thos few instances, I find it easy to pause Carbonite for a few hours and then it resumes and all is fine.

I am a fan of Cloudberry Labs. It uses cloud storage like S3, encrypts and allows you to control and monitor. It is not free, but for IT professionals, it is a good Hybrid of Cloud. If you happen to have a CIFS storage volume on your network, you can also have it use that for a "Speed Vault". Example, store daily backups locally then weekly in the cloud.

Carbonite, Backblaze and Crashplan are all very good.

Your best bet though, is multiple backups, like having an local NAS backup and the cloud.  Even if you can only afford an external USB drive, couple that with an online system for a more robust solution.  If you go the NAS route, many of them come with cloud backup included.

I consider the Boot Drive, Archives (things that don't change - Music, Photos, Movies), and current working files worthy of backups.
Local USB hard drives are cheapest, my Archives are on USB Flash Drives as well as hard drives, I use Macrium Reflect for cloning the boot drive, working files are synced locally.
Crashplan has removed their free version that allowed backup to local computers or a relative across the street.
I am fond of TheWirecutter comparisons for the results and the theory behind their evaluations.
I have had clients that were backing up for years, had never tested their backups, and were surprised when it was needed it did not exist.
https://thewirecutter.com/electronics/storage/

OneDrive is not designed for such amount of data.
I would suggest using Microsoft Azure instead, perhaps BackBlaze B2 or Wasabi as cheaper and reliable alternatives.
As for the software solution, you could use Arq, CloudBerry or Duplicati, depending on your approach.
By the way, BackBlaze has its own personal software solution as well.

You can put just about anything in OneDrive and you "could" use this just for your files.  Having said that, if you get ransomware on 1 pc, your OneDrive files will also be encrypted and that will sync to another PC.  

The best thing you can do is have multiple backups of everything.  There are free programs like AOMIE Backupper that will back up everything and make an image backup, much like Acronis or ShadowProtect. These will offer you the fastest recovery time over just a file backup.

So, combine a local backup strategy, even if it is a USB drive with a cloud based.  Backblaze, Carbonite, iDrive, etc.

Please see comment #a42322343 regarding file versioning

File versioning is great, except when the versions get overwritten, perhaps by not having as long a retention time.  Again, multiple backups of different types is the best strategy. Combine that AND include versioning is even better.  

You cannot rely on only one method.  If 39 years in this industry has taught me anything, it is that you will have backup failures, no matter what it is and when it comes time to make a recovery, that is when you will find your shortfalls.  Always plan for the worse.

Can I focus on the capability of One Drive? If I can store 1T of data on it why can I not back up my whole PC which has 250GB? One Drive is the back up service from Microsoft. You would expect it to cater to its Windows 10 customers.

Actually OneDrive is not meant to be a true backup service. It is meant to be a file sync/collaboration service. OneDrive has limitations on the size of files for each file uploaded, path name restrictions and total numbers of files uploaded.

So, you could possibly get around that if you could do a backup using a backup program and put those files in OneDrive, but no backup program that backs up everything will allow you to do it on the same drive you are saving it to.

I am using Carbonite at present. How does One Drive differ from that?

OneDrive creates a folder on your computer and whatever you put in that shared folder is synchronized to all your other OneDrive computers and to your OneDrive cloud.  Carbonite backs up the files as you use them and uploads them to the Carbonite cloud.  If you got ransomware for example, OneDrive, being a local folder would be encrypted as would every place it syncs to. On the other hand, Carbonite would not be encrypted as it is not a folder, but rather an agent that backs up to the cloud.  

Both do files and folders, however I think Carbonite is a little more limited with the file types it backs up.  I have about 5tb backed up there now.

Can I just back up on One Drive cloud? I don't need to synchronise my computers. Would that eliminate the threat of ransomware?

Thanks.

No, if ransomware got your OneDrive, your OneDrive cloud would be encrypted too. I just had a customer who used Dropbox for the same thing. Everything got encrypted.

Yes, but all you have to do is log a call (within 30days for standard and a year with pack mule) and they will restore it back to a date.

The Cloudberry agent I referenced is backup software. You then are in control of where you want it to store. S3, Azure, Local, combination of all. In my opinion, the apps like Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and so on, uses synchronization that keeps user data always up to date in the cloud. The weak point is that EVERY change will be synced, even unwanted. I have seen OneDrive sync bad files from one computer to another. Potentially causing outbreak.

The backup process sends updated data on a regular basis while keeping the file version history. So even if you get infected data backed up, you will be able to recover it using older backups. The key difference between sync and backup processes is in a version history availability. For most sync solutions you won’t find one, while it is basic for backup products.

Then I tell clients to store at least 7 file versions in the cloud and I have the most recent 2 days stored locally on our NAS boxes.

Is there any difference between automatic backup as with Carbonite and synchronization with the cloud as with One Drive?

Thanks for your input Steve.

You are most welcome.