{"id":91494,"date":"2019-07-16T08:46:27","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T15:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=91494"},"modified":"2021-12-22T06:38:36","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T14:38:36","slug":"choosing-the-best-cloud-for-backing-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/choosing-the-best-cloud-for-backing-up\/","title":{"rendered":"More From Our Annual Survey: Choosing the Best Cloud for Backing Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"plugging<\/p>\n

Which cloud is best for backing up?<\/p>\n

This is one of the most common questions we get asked at Backblaze, and we’ve addressed it many times on this blog<\/a>, on our website, and at trade shows and conferences.<\/p>\n

There are many uses for the cloud, and many services that provide storage drives, sync, backup, and sharing. It’s hard for computer users to know which service is best for which use.<\/p>\n

Every spring for the past twelve years we’ve commissioned an online survey conducted by The Harris Poll to help us understand if and how computer users are backing up. We’ve asked the same question, “How often do you backup all the data on your computer?\u201d every year. We just published the results of the latest poll<\/a>, which showed that more surveyed computer owners<\/a> are backing up in 2019 than when we conducted our first poll in 2008. We\u2019re heartened that more people are protecting their valuable files, photos, financial records, and personal documents.<\/p>\n

This year we decided to ask a second question that would help us understand how the cloud compares to other backup destinations, such as external drives<\/a> and NAS<\/a>, and which cloud services are being used for backing up.<\/p>\n

This was the question we asked:<\/p>\n

\n

What is the primary method you use to backup all of the data on your computer?<\/p>\n

1 Cloud backup (e.g., Backblaze, Carbonite, iDrive)
\n2 Cloud drive (e.g., Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive)
\n3 Cloud sync (e.g., Dropbox, iCloud)
\n4 External hard drive (e.g., Time Machine, Windows Backup and Restore)
\n5 Network Attached Storage (NAS) (e.g., QNAP, Synology)
\n6 Other
\n7 Not sure<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Where Computer Users are Backing Up<\/h3>\n

More than half of those who have ever backed up all the data on their computer (58 percent) indicated that they are using the cloud as one of the primary methods to back up all of the data on their computer. Nearly two in five (38 percent) use an external hard drive<\/a>, and just 5 percent use network attached storage (NAS). (The total is greater than 100 percent because respondents were able to select multiple destinations.)<\/p>\n

Backup Destinations
\n(Among Those Who Have Ever Backed Up All Data on Their Computer)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"2019<\/a>
Among Those Who Have Ever Backed Up All Data On Computer — Primary Method Used<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Type of Cloud is Being Used?<\/h3>\n

The survey results tell us that the cloud has become a popular destination for backing up data.
\nAmong those who have ever backed up all data on their computer, the following indicated what type of cloud service they used:<\/p>\n