Protect your files with Norton Cloud Backup

Backing up data is your way of helping to protect what’s on your computer by making a copy of it somewhere else. You can backup data to a physical hard drive separate from your computer or device, or you can back it up online with cloud storage. You can run a backup manually as needed, or schedule automatic backups to your online cloud storage^‡‡.

Cloud storage or, ‘backing up’ to the cloud, is a way of storing data with a trusted provider that you access through an online connection. Cloud storage providers store this data, like your sensitive documents or photos, on their servers that they manage and secure. The storage provider is responsible for keeping the servers safe and running so that you can access your backed-up data whenever you need.

For many, this is a matter of preference. For years we’ve relied on external hard drives to store the data we deem as important. The only problem is that these drives can be lost, stolen, or fail just like a regular computer. Hard drives only last so long. Online backup gives you a way to access your files and data from any device.

With Norton Cloud Backup, you can select which files in which locations on your computer to back up, sign in to your account, and back up as often as needed. Norton Cloud Backup also enables you to schedule automatic backups on a schedule that you set^‡‡. Once you start creating backup files, those backups are stored safely in the cloud and accessible whenever you sign in to your account.

Ransomware is a type of harmful software (malware) that locks your files so you can’t open them. It can sneak in when you click a bad link or download something unsafe.

Backing up your computer's most important information gives you peace of mind that you'll have a backup of files to restore, just in case you need it. If a cybercriminal encrypts or ‘locks up’ the contents of your computer so that you can no longer access them, you’ll still have access to your cloud back up copy.

This depends on the information that you need to backup. Go through your important files and see how much data they take up. Then you will have an idea of what you will need in terms of storage space. Remember that your need is going to grow, so it’s best to have more than you need to start.

Pros: Cloud storage keeps your files accessible from anywhere, adds protection against device loss, and backs up automatically.
Cons: It requires internet access and may have storage limits, depending on your plan.

This will depend on the amount of data that you need to back up and the connection rate that you have with your internet. Many people set up their backups to take place at night while they sleep. Norton Cloud Backup enables you to schedule automatic backups at the times you prefer^‡‡.

If you have a file that you no longer want to keep, simply remove it from your storage. Keep in mind, once it is deleted from storage, you run the risk of losing that file permanently. Norton Cloud Backup enables you to make different sets of copied files and save different versions of the same file, and you can manage those all in the Norton portal, including deleting the copies that you no longer need.