How Cloud Backup Works: A Plain-Language Guide
Cloud backup is a fairly simple idea wrapped in some technical detail. Here's a general walkthrough of the concepts behind services like IDrive.
You choose what to back up
Most backup software lets you select specific folders, file types, or an entire disk image to protect.
Data is encrypted and uploaded
Selected files are typically encrypted, then uploaded to remote cloud servers over your internet connection.
Later backups are usually incremental
After the first full backup, most services only upload what has changed, which is generally much faster than re-uploading everything.
Older versions may be kept
Many backup services retain a number of previous versions of a file, so you can restore an earlier copy if a file is corrupted, deleted, or affected by ransomware.
Common questions
What's the difference between a backup and a sync?
A backup is typically a scheduled, versioned copy of your data kept for recovery purposes, often retaining older versions. A sync mirrors the same files across devices in near real time, usually keeping only the latest version.
Why does the first backup take so long?
The first backup generally has to upload your entire selected data set, which can take a long time depending on how much data you have and your upload speed. Later backups are usually faster because they only upload what changed.