Compared to CD/DVDs

Most traditional backup methods copy your computer files onto some kind of media, be it an external hard drive, a CD or DVD, or a USB flash drive. These methods are convenient and quick, and many typically offer plenty of inexpensive storage space.

The problem is that most of the time people keep their CDs and DVDs in the same location as the computer they are backing up. So should a disaster occur both the computer and the data backed up on CDs or DVDs could suffer the same fate. There's also the problem of theft. If your computer or laptop gets stolen there is a good chance that your backup will get stolen as well. Unless you plan to copy your information onto several CDs or DVDs and store them in multiple locations you information still remains vulnerable. Online backup eliminates these risks.

Keep in mind CDs and DVDs are not always reliable and despite their low cost, there's a big problem with optical media -they occasionally don't copy correctly. Buffer underruns and other problems mean that out of every batch of CDs or DVDs, occasionally one or two may be bad. If that one or two contain your important files, the data backed up on it is now unreadable.

CD/DVD burners cannot be set up to back up your data automatically. The best forms of data backup are automatic. This takes user error out of the equation. Backing up onto CDs and DVDs requires you to be present to insert the next disc into your computer in order to continue with the backup process. These added steps make data backup onto CDs and DVDs a hassle, and if you need to back up your computer more than one time, the hassle quickly outweighs any benefits.