A lot has been written about backing up to external media in Windows 7 or 8.1. But what if you use multiple devices (e.g. computer, tablet, Windows phone)? And you urgently need data, say, documents stored on a computer or some other device? In such a case, it is best to create a backup in the cloud. By the way, I would recommend placing your archives there as well. For example, archives of the same documents. By the way, this is also very useful if you are using an SSD instead of a regular hard disk in your laptop. In this article we will look at the main "cloud" storages - OneDrive from Microsoft, Google Drive, Dropbox and Yandex Drive.

Using OneDrive is very beneficial if you're on Windows 8.1. In this case, the amount of storage can be 15 GB, and if you are also a happy owner of an Office 365 subscription, then the amount of storage on OneDrive is not limited at all. New Google Drive users start with 15GB. Dropbox initially provides only 2GB of free space, but most users are rapidly expanding that capacity to 5GB or more. A 1TB subscription is priced at $ 10 per month or $ 100 annually.

All services allow you to specify which files and folders you want to sync to the cloud. This means that you can leave some files and folders only in your "cloud" drive and download them as needed. Let's take a closer look at how this is done.

To get started with Dropbox, you need to go to www.dropbox.com, sign up, and select the appropriate plan for your personal use (see Figure 1). You will then be prompted to download the appropriate installation package (see Figure 2).

Figure 1: Dropbox

Figure 2: Registering with? Dropbox

I would like to note right away that when registering with Dropbox, you are asked to enter your password only once, so you need to be more careful.

Selective sync when using Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 systems is as follows. To create custom sync rules, right-click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar to open the preferences window (Figure 3).

Screen 3: Account Settings

In fact, selective sync lets you specify which folders you want to sync with Dropbox. This is certainly convenient if you have a netbook or computer in your hands with a small hard drive (and you don't have an external one with you). Note that folders for selective sync must be inside your Dropbox folder. Thus, for selective synchronization, you need to copy the files that you want to transfer (copy) to the "cloud" storage Dropbox to the appropriate folder on the disk.

If you de-sync a shared folder using the Custom sync menu in the preferences window, it will only sync with your computer. In this case, the folder itself will remain in Dropbox and will be synchronized with the accounts of other users who have access to it. To stop using a shared folder, you can either leave it on the Dropbox site, or (if you created it yourself) stop sharing it.

To download Google Disk, you need to use your Google Services account and then select the Google Disk service (see Figure 4).

The following parameters can be configured.

Account

• Disable Account. Synchronize your Google Drive folder with another Google account (not recommended).
• Expand storage space. Purchase additional space.

Synchronization options

• Only sync some folders with this computer. Check the boxes next to the folders under My Drive to enable syncing. Uncheck the boxes next to the folders you don't want to sync.
• Synchronize objects that I have access to. If you are using the new Drive experience, move files and folders from the Available section to the My Drive folder to keep them in sync with your computer. If you are using the classic version of Drive, add folders and files from the Shared with Me section to the My Drive folder.

Extended

• Launch Google Drive automatically when you turn on your computer. Google Drive will launch and sync the folder on your computer with the My Drive section.
• Submit crash reports and usage statistics to Google. Submit information to Google so that you can improve the service.
• Proxy server. You have two options available: "Direct connection" and "Automatically detect proxy server settings".
• Others. Displays file sync status icons.

Select files and folders to sync with your computer. All Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, pictures and pivot tables are synced to the Google Drive folder on your computer. To turn off syncing, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Google Drive icon.

• On Mac computers, you can usually find it in the Menu bar at the top right of your screen.

2. Select "Settings".

3. Uncheck the box next to Synchronize only some folders with this computer.

4. Click the Apply Changes button.

Section "My Disk" (all files or individual folders). All files and folders from the "My Drive" section are synchronized with the Google Drive folder on your computer. To set up synchronization of individual folders, follow these steps:

1. Move the files to the folders you plan to sync.

2. Click the Google Drive icon on the desktop.

• On Mac computers, you can find it in the Menu Bar at the top right of your screen.
• On Windows computers, the icon is on the taskbar at the bottom-right corner of your screen.

3. Select "Settings".

4. Select the Synchronize only some folders with this computer check box.

5. Select the folders you want to sync with the Google Drive folder.

6. Click the Apply Changes button.

Working with OneDrive

If you are using the Windows 8.1 operating system, One Drive is provided to you by default. OneDrive is free online storage provided with a Microsoft account. Getting started with OneDrive is easy. You can add files already on your computer to OneDrive by copying or moving them. You can save new files to OneDrive so you can use them from any device and share them with others. And if your computer has a built-in camera, you can automatically save copies of your photos to OneDrive so you always have a backup. Unlike previous storages, you will be able to save files directly to One Drive without saving them to your computer.

Desktop app functionality is built into Windows

OneDrive syncs files when you sign up with a Microsoft account. If you install a desktop application on a Windows 8.1-based computer, the installer does not appear. A component will be installed that allows you to use Office to work with OneDrive documents at the same time as other users, but the other components will not be installed. If you're running Windows 7 or 8, you can download the classic OneDrive management app at onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/download/.

For Windows 8.1 users, just do the following (see Figure 6):

1. Open OneDrive in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click on the file (folder) and select Make Available Offline or Make Available Online Only.

As Figure 8 shows, to sync Yandex Drive, you just need to copy the corresponding files to the Yandex.Disk folder. At first glance, this approach to synchronization most closely resembles Google Disk. This is partly true.

Using the Yandex.Disk web application, you can download the corresponding application for Windows. For selective synchronization, you need to enter the Yandex Drive settings panel and select the "Synchronization" tab. If you uncheck the corresponding folder, it will not sync. To upload files to a folder whose sync is disabled, simply drag and drop files into it in Explorer. Thus, in this case, the contents of the Yandex Disk root folder are always synchronized, and the contents of subfolders can be synchronized at your choice.

The main difference between Yandex Disk and Dropbox and Google Disk is that you can save files to Yandex.Disk directly from Microsoft Office.

Thus, using "cloud" storage, you can not only increase the free space on your hard disk, but also provide a backup copy of your most important files (documents, photos, etc.). If we compare the usability of selective synchronization, then the conclusion is straightforward. Both Dropbox and Google Disk have configurable selections at the folder level. Thus, you need to go to the "Settings" dialog of the corresponding service and manually specify which folders are synchronized and which are not. The solution, which supports the context menu in Explorer and allows you to configure the synchronization and placement of files, exists today only from Microsoft.

Not so long ago, 1C users became available to the 1C: Cloud archive service, which allows you to store 1C backups in the cloud. Many have already appreciated all the advantages of this solution:

• automatic work without human intervention;
• storing copies on secure servers that can be accessed anywhere on the Internet;
• regular service included in 1C: Enterprise version 8.2 and higher;
• payment only for a subscription, without the need to buy hardware and software.

A 1C backup in the cloud costs about 8,000 rubles a year. However, in this article we will help you set up a similar service absolutely free. At the same time, our system will be deprived of some of the limitations of a regular cloud archiver, for example:

• it is possible to work with both file and client-server versions;
• automatic disconnection of users before backing up 1C to the cloud.

Backup 1C to the cloud. Step 1- create a disk

To implement a free 1C backup to the cloud, we need our own cloud storage and a program that supports data exchange with this storage.

As a disk, we suggest using Yandex.Disk, which gives out as much as 10GB of space when creating a mailbox. Although this volume is half the size of the paid service from 1C, but from experience I can say that it is quite enough to store 30 medium 1C backups in the cloud.

An example of a working script can be downloaded from our website. Remember to save using CP866 encoding. The file is provided with comments, so we will focus only on some constants that require editing:
EXEC_PATH - after the equal sign, specify the path to the 1cv8.exe file
BACKUP_PATH - path to the local folder with backups LOGIN and PASSWORD - respectively, the login and password of the 1C user who is allowed to unload the IB
BASE - the path to the 1C database (for the file version, the format will be / F "C: \ Path to IB \", and for the client-server / S "Cluster_1C \ Database_name").

Help set up a backup?

Before configuring the program that performs 1C cloud backup, you need to configure this script so that when it starts, the dt file is generated in the C: \ 1c_base \ _backup folder.

Installing the downloaded Handy Backup should not be difficult, everything is standard for Windows applications.

We set up and test a free cloud backup 1C

Everything is ready to set up a free 1C cloud backup. First of all, we will set up a mailing list about the operation of the backup system - this will allow you to monitor the operation of the system simply by looking at the mail.

And so, fill in
SMTP server: smtp.yandex.ru,
port 465,
From: your email to yandex, for example [email protected]
To: your mailbox, where bounces should come about the work of our free 1C cloud backup, for example [email protected] site
Subject: any email subject that is convenient for you
The Yandex mail server requires authentication when sending, so we tick the "Use SMTP authentication" box and enter the email address in the User field, for example, [email protected] and the mail password in the Password field.

Finish the settings by sending a test message by clicking on the Send test message button. If everything is done correctly, a window will appear about the successful passing of the test, and a message from our future free cloud 1C backup will be sent to your e-mail.

Now is the time to create a backup task. To do this, click File - New Task and select Create backup. Creation will take place in wizard mode, which splits the entire process into several steps. To continue, click Next and go to step 2, where we select the data source.

Select Local or Network Drive as a data source and in the drop-down list put a checkmark on the same folder C: \ 1c_base \ _backup. After confirming the selection with the OK button, File filters become available, in which it makes sense to enable masks for * .dt files so as not to copy unnecessary ones.

This completes step 2, and you can proceed to choosing a storage for a free cloud backup 1C. Here we select Yandex Disk and in the right window, double-click on New configuration. The system will display a window with an invitation to Connect to Yandex Disk, by clicking on which a request for Handy Backup access to your cloud disk will open in the browser window. And if you grant access, a successful connection window will appear.

In the current configuration, all that remains is to specify the _backup folder created at the very beginning. This will change the "Where" field. You should get something like Yandex Disk config.hbl \ _backup.

Then you can go to step 4 and select the number of stored copies of 1C in our cloud backup. Copy mode - only Full, because we will always save only 1 dt file and tick the "Keep multiple backups" checkbox, select "Keep old versions" and the desired period. I chose 1 month.

At the 6th step of setting up a free cloud backup 1C, turn on the scheduler. This will allow you to automatically complete tasks. When setting the start time in the "Start" field, try to choose a period when the load on the network and the 1C base is low, for example, after the end of the working day. Because my computer works around the clock, I chose 2:00 am and days of the week from Monday to Friday.

It is very important to disconnect all users before unloading the 1C database, otherwise the entire task may end with an error. Therefore, in the next step, the script that we wrote earlier will come in handy. We select "Run the program before copying" and specify the path to our script. We tick the "Wait for the program to finish" checkbox. the process of shutting down 1C users takes some time. And do not forget to tell the program that we want to receive reports on the operation of the 1C free cloud backup.

At the last step, you can give a meaningful name to our task and tick the box "Perform this task immediately."

In the process of work, 1C should start and unload simultaneously with all users currently working, create an archive.dt in the C: \ 1c_base \ _backup folder and receive a letter with a report on the status of copying this file to Yandex Disk.

It is also worth installing a backup service to make the program work offline.

Recovery from a 1C backup in the cloud

You can restore 1C from a cloud backup on any computer with Internet access and access codes for Yandex services.

To start the recovery, you will also need the Handy Backup program installed, in which you need to create a new "Recover data" task. The task is also launched as a wizard, which consists of several steps.

At the first step of 1C recovery, a cloud service is selected from the backup - in our case, Yandex Disk. You will need to go through the connection process in the same way as it was done in the process of creating a backup. After that, it will be possible to expand the _backup folder and select the backup.hbi index file located in one of the folders numbered from 0. The most recent copy will have a higher number.

At the next step of restoring 1C from a backup in the cloud, you should select a recovery location. By default, this will be the same folder from which the backup was made - in our case, C: \ 1c_base \ _backup. If such a folder structure does not exist on the computer, the system itself will try to create it. If you want, you can change the assignment by clicking the Change location button.

At the 4th step, select Full recovery, then enter the password for our encrypted backup. In the sixth step, you do not need to turn on the scheduler, unless you are going to synchronize the databases. And in the last 7th step, you can name the task and complete it.

During the operation of the task, a backup copy of the 1C database in dt format will be restored from the cloud in the specified location, which can later be deployed on any system in any version (file or client-server).

The results of creating a 1C cloud backup system

Using the described method, you can set up a 1C cloud backup system absolutely free of charge and save from 8,000 rubles a year. For those who find this setup difficult or have difficulties, but would like to protect their data and are not ready to spend extra money, our team is ready to implement this or a similar, and more complex projects on a paid basis.

Over time, your computer or laptop accumulates enough a large number of files - 1000, 2000, or even 500,000... Their importance can be very high, especially if they are family photos, videos, work documents.

To securely save valuable files from viruses and damage as a result of a file system failure, each PC user needs to make a duplicate of his data at least once every 2-3 weeks - to create backups. Having a "fresh" backup will help restore information from it in case of loss.

Where to store backups: on an external HDD or trust the cloud?

When there were no "clouds" yet, backups were usually kept:

• on local pc
• external (removable) USB-media, flash drive or DVD
• on a server in the local network
• on a remote FTP server

Advanced users and system administrators also copied files to remote servers using FTP / SSH / WebDAV, etc. Now there is an additional opportunity - to store folders on the Internet, on a server from Yandex.

What is Yandex Disk?

I ndex drive is a cloud service that allows you to store files on a server under your account. By default, you are provided with 10 GB of disk space for free and forever with the possibility of further expansion. Thanks to its accessibility and convenience, this service quickly gained popularity and as of October 2018, more than 16 million users already use it.

Benefits of cloud storage

• Storing files outside the office (outside the home) helps to protect data from fire and viruses
• High reliability, since folders are additionally backed up by Yandex, and the transfer is carried out using a secure protocol
• Data availability from anywhere in the world
• High trust, since Yandex has been working in the IT market for many years - it is the leader in the field of IT and Internet services in Russia and the CIS countries.

Flaws

• The resource is limited to 10 GB, the increase in the size is paid
• Very secret (confidential) information, which is a trade secret, is still not recommended to be stored in the "clouds"

Whether to store backups on the Internet or not is up to you. If you are an ordinary user who has not very secret data and their volumes are about 3 - 6 GB (no more than 10 GB), then backup to Yandex.Disk is an excellent free solution to ensure the safety of document files, backup photo-video! As a rule, the specified size is sufficient for storing several copies of the most important files.

Exiland Backup is a simple cloud backup tool

This concludes my brief overview of the possibility. If you have any questions, I will be glad to help. Write to me through the feedback form.

Michael, developer of Exiland Backup

The backup method is often cited as the best way to protect information from data loss. Today we will take a look at the specific types of backups used by cloud vaults to sync and back up your files.

Benefits of cloud backups

Storing files in the cloud has many benefits. Obviously, if you manage your documents using Dropbox, Box.com, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Apple iCloud Drive, you will have instant access to the latest versions of your files on whatever device you sign into the app with.

Just think about it: you can access your files literally on the go - from your phone, tablet, laptop, computer in an Internet cafe, and even from some smart TVs. This fact alone is probably enough to entrust your files to cloud storage.

But that's not all. If you use a cloud service and run the appropriate client on your computer, all files and documents that you put in the synced folder are uploaded to the cloud and stored securely there until you need it again. If something happens to your computer or laptop, your files won't disappear. They will remain safe in the cloud and you can easily restore them by simply authorizing the client application on your new computer. Have you ever tried to recover your Windows 8 computer data in full? It turns out that you just need to log in with your Microsoft account, and the computer will automatically download all settings and files (for example, photos, Camera Roll and the contents of the "My Documents" folder) to the new computer without having to do anything at all. But only if you had time take advantage of backup technology ...

Isn't it great? You can create a backup copy and not worry about the safety of data, while doing nothing more and without paying anything. However, if you decide to use a cloud service to create a remote backup, there are a few things you should consider right away to avoid potential problems.

What do you need to know?

The two main things to worry about when using cloud backups are storage space and security.

When you create a cloud account, you basically entrust all your data to a third party. Whether it's Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon or Dropbox, a lot of your personal data will be kept out of your reach and control. Heard about the recent SONY hack? This could not have happened with any other company. If someone gains access to your account (through phishing your password or downloading a Trojan to your computer), they gain complete control over all your data. If they destroy all files in your account ... well, they will disappear from all your devices too. Agree - the situation is not pleasant. And if this is exactly what you had to face, download Partition Recovery to scan your drives and recover deleted files.

Please note that you cannot recover anything that has been deleted from the cloud. When a file is deleted from the cloud, it disappears completely. And no data recovery tool, in principle, will be able to get this file back. You can only restore a local copy of this file on your computer using data recovery software such as File Recovery.

You can take steps to protect your account by setting a unique password (which will not be used by any of your other accounts) and enable two-factor authentication. If activated, the hacker will not be able to log in without going through the second stage of authentication, which is only possible if you have a mobile phone or other specific device that can be used to receive a text message with a password, or a binary recovery key used by Apple, etc. etc.). So if you're using cloud backups and haven't enabled 2FA, it's best to do so now.

And second ... Again, you trust your files to a third party. Whether it's Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, or Dropbox, they'll have full access to your personal files stored in the cloud. Your data is not even encrypted, and if so, the encryption key is stored side by side with the data itself (like in Apple iCloud, for example).

Finally, pay attention to the amount of available storage space. Most cloud services will give you 5 to 30 GB for free. As a bonus, you can buy an additional 32GB USB flash drive for less than $ 20, and a 64GB USB stick will set you back $ 30-40. This will probably be enough to store your mail, contacts and documents, as well as a few random images, but it will probably not be enough to store all your photos, music and videos.

One more thing. Any unsynchronized folder will not be automatically copied to the cloud. As a result, you may have a false sense of security, whereas in reality, you may lose a large amount of data stored in your account outside the cloud. In this case, use RS Photo Recovery, RS Office Recovery, or Disk Recovery Software to recover data.

Can you get more storage space? Certainly. There are several ways to expand storage capacity offered by cloud service providers. The easiest way to get more cloud space is to pay for a subscription. Most providers will provide you with over 1TB of storage (more than enough space) for a reasonable monthly or yearly fee. Plus, sometimes you don't even have to pay to get more storage on the cloud.

For example, Dropbox is known for providing extra space for simple actions like installing a mobile client on an Android device or referring friends to open Dropbox accounts. With Microsoft OneDrive, you can "earn" more space by activating your Windows Phone mobile phone and setting it up to sync your camera.

Conclusion

Cloud services like Dropbox, Box.com, OneDrive, Google Drive, or iCloud Drive can offer a great backup option. If you are really concerned about the safety and security of your data, simply use a backup with all the data security best practices in mind. So storing your files in the cloud will provide sufficient convenience and data safety.

Cloud Backup (BaaS) is a cloud-based data backup service based on one of the market-leading solutions - Veeam Backup & Replication with Cloud Connect technology. The service allows you to back up any physical or virtual servers and store backups in the LanCloud cloud. Backups will be hosted outside your office in a secure TIER-III Facility & Operation certified data center. Built-in client-side encryption of backups allows you to be 100% confident in the confidentiality of information transferred to the cloud.

Cloud Backup allows you to restore both individual files and completely physical or virtual servers, including the state of the operating system. In addition, the service supports backup and granular recovery of applications such as Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server and Oracle. In particular, you can restore individual AD users, mailboxes and individual Exchange messages, individual SharePoint items, database transaction logs to a specific point in time. Restoration can be done both to the original location and to an alternative location.

Key Benefits of LanCloud Cloud Backup:

• Backing up physical servers running Windows or Linux with the possibility of full recovery to other hardware or to a virtual environment
• Backing up any virtual Hyper-V or VMware servers with the ability to fully restore the state of a virtual machine or individual files
• Granular application recovery: Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server and Oracle with the ability to recover individual objects and databases
• The ability to encrypt data on the client side before transfer to the cloud
• Storage of backups outside the office in a reliable TIER-III Facility & Operation data center.
• The ability to restore backups to the LanCloud cloud in the event of a complete failure of the local infrastructure
• One of the most favorable prices on the market for the amount of data - 1 RUB / month. for 1 GB
• The first month of using the service is free.

Rates

Features and Capabilities	Cloud Backup Workstation	Cloud Backup VM Standard	Cloud Backup VM Enterprise	Cloud Backup VM Enterprise Plus	Cloud Backup Server
Price for 1 virtual or physical server per month excluding VAT	440 ₽	440 ₽	800 ₽	1200 ₽	1200 ₽
VM ( Hyper-V or VMware) whole or separate files
Backing up and restoring the state of a physical server as a whole or individual files with the ability to restore to the original location or to another hardware
Backup and recovery Active Directory		Recovering single user and computer accounts	Recovering multiple objects at the same time, containers, GPOs, Active Directory-integrated DNS records
Backup and recovery Exchange Server		Restoring individual objects (letters, mailboxes, notes, contacts) in .pst	Restoring objects to their original placement
Backup and recovery SharePoint Server		Restoring individual objects to a file	Restoring sites, collections, and objects to their original location
Backup and recovery SQL Server		Restoring an entire SQL database	Restoring the transaction log, databases and SQL objects (tables, stored procedures, views) to the original or another SQL Server
Backup and recovery Oracle
Data deduplication and compression
Ability to exclude individual files and folders from backup
WAN acceleration (accelerate data transfer to the cloud up to 50 times)
Backing up from storage snapshots
Self-service file recovery portal for users