It's up to you. We believe it is better to err on the side of caution, and we encourage the use of both local and remote backups for absolute protection. When it comes to your important data, you can never be too safe.  Our software can also do a local backup to another local hard drive or USB drive.

We offer a high-quality service, but we do not accept ultimate responsibility for your data, just as the manufacturer of a tape drive or a backup tape will not accept responsibility for loss of data if their device malfunctions. 

See our ‘Terms and Conditions’ for more details.

Start by calculating the amount of data you want to backup. You can do this by either using Windows Explorer to find the sizes of the relevant files and folders, or by installing the Off Site Back Up software and making your file selections. The software will then report the total size.

The first full backup will usually require less space than the sum of your files, due to the compression built into the system. Typically the first full backup will require approx 50% to 75% of your total data size.

In the longer term, to ensure that you have enough space for storing previous versions, we recommend that you purchase approximately double the space that you calculated above. Users who select a long (6 month) Restore Window and who make large changes to files very frequently may find they need more space, perhaps up to 3 times the amount that you calculated above.

This is only a rough rule, and remember that you can easily increase your allocated space at any time, so don’t feel pressured into buying more space than you need.

Some internet connections include unlimted data transfers, whereas others are billed according to data usage. Check this with your ISP. 

Most ISPs charge according to downloaded data only , so uploaded data is free. In this case you will pay nothing to the ISP for the data uploaded to our server.  Some ISPs will bill you for uploaded data if it exceeds a certain percentage of the downloaded data.

In any case, most modern broadband plans include very generous data allowances, so in most cases this will not be a problem.

NB – At the time of writing, we are aware that Australia’s Bigpond charges for uploaded data on all of their metered plans, so if you use Bigpond you might want to consider switching to an unlimited data plan to avoid an unpleasant surprise on your next bill. This is true also for many wireless broadband services.

A small fraction of the cost of replacing your data !

Seriously, the pricing is designed to be attractive to both small and large businesses. Pricing is based on the amount of storage space allocated to you on the Off Site Back Up servers, and is charged to you monthly (or annually at your request).

We offer a number of plans with varying amounts of server storage space. So you can choose a plan to suit your needs. A small one-man business may be able to get by with the smallest plan. Larger organizations can purchase as much space as they need. Our servers have plenty of space for everyone !

You can change plans at any time so your Off Site Back Up service can grow with you.

Your monthly bill from us is not affected by the amount of data you transfer, or the frequency with which you perform backups.

Most ISPs will not charge you for the upload data that you send to us, but some do, depending on your plan, so you need to check this out