We all know how critically important it is for all of us to keep all the data on our PC hard drive backed up on a regular (daily) basis. Some people use Symantec Ghost http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/ or Symantec Drive Image 7 http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/ to perform this task. I currently use Drive Image 7.

The problem with these programs is that it can become a time consuming chore because you have to load/swap CD/DVD disks as the backup takes place, especially when backing up your entire HD (up to 80 GB).

Because I have a pretty fast internet connection (DSL), I'm seriously considering using an online offsite data backup service to upload (backup) my entire hard drive data to. This can also be scheduled to occur automatically (in the background) or at night while you're asleep.

Does anyone here use or recommend an oline data backup service which allows you to 'automatically' send files via the internet to their supposedly secure data centers. Are these services really 'safe' and secure? What are the risks?

Here is one company (Tech24) that Symantec Corp appears to recommend: http://www.tech24.com/help/tools/backup/individual.asp#

Thanks for feedback, input, and recommendations. - Scott