Encryption and Blowfish Technology in simple Terms!!!

When using Datamonster your files are very secure. Files are encrypted to 448 bit encryption using the latest blowfish technology. So in simple terms what does that mean?  
Encryption is a way of encoding data (e.g. a document) so that it is completely unreadable to those who do not possess the encryption key. In simple terms if you hold the encryption key you can decrypt the data so it is in a readable form.
 
Blowfish is the name given to a specific method of encryption it is a block cipher which means it encrypts the data in chunks rather than one long stream of data.
 
The length of the encryption key is important as the longer the key the more possible permutations are available. Blowfish can use a key length from 32 to 448 bit - our software uses the highest 448-bit which gives 2 X 10448 permutations. For example most banks use a 128-bit key which means there are 2 X 10128 different permutations.

To give an example of scale 109 = 1,000,000,000 = 1 billion, 1018 = 1 trillion = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 we hope that helps explain in as simple terms as possible.

Data encryption

Encryption is a security method of scrambling information within a file to make it Completely unintelligible. All data stored using the Datamonster online backup software is stored in a highly encrypted format so there is no possibility of unauthorized access. The method of encryption used is called Blowfish, one of the most sophisticated algorithms available. Endorsed by the military and widely used by the banking and telecommunications industries. Datamonster encrypt your data using 448-bit technology(over 3 times the level used by most Internet banks), ensuring complete privacy, guaranteeing, nobody but you can ever view it.

Data Monster Online Backup

Data Monster Online Backup

Protect Your Important information on more than one computer

If you wish to backup important files and folders from more than one computer you can do this with the Datamonster backup software. This will allow you to share the storage capacity for the pricing package that you are on at no extra cost and at the same time have the peace of mind that your data is safe on multiple computers.

For example if you have if you wish to protect files from a couple of office computers and also protect files on computers at home then that’s no problem.

Simply download the Datamonster software onto the computers that you wish to set up automated backups for, create your backup definitions and worry no more. This will also give you the additional benefit of being able to access files on more than one computer if you are in the office and you need a file from home for example.

Visit http://www.datamonster.co.uk/ for more detail

Whats Important to You?

None of us like insurance as we are often paying for something that may or may not happen whether that be life insurance, building insurance, contents insurance, pet insurance, car insurance or business insurance. Offsite data backup / storage works very much the same way as an insurance policy. You may never need it, you hope that you will never need it but it is very reassuring to know that it is there in the time of a crisis. Your business insurance for example will cover your computer hardware if something happens to it, you may even have a policy that includes loss of business for the inconvenience that you will no doubt be put through if something happens. However the most important part of your pc is what is stored on its hard drive. Even if the time to retrace your steps is insured would it not just be easier to ensure the data is not lost in the first place? With e-commerce playing an ever greater role in business today, protecting electronic data has never been more important. Is it wise to put your company's data at risk, when such a simple and effective solution exists? Away from business if you consider your home contents insurance your possessions will be replaced if something happens to them however how many times do your hear people talk when they have had a burglary about so and so cannot be replaced as it was sentimental. In an age of digital photography how many sentimental photographs are stored on your pc or laptop? What policy do you have in place to replace these memories?

Compressed Data What Does it mean to You?

When you use the datamonster online backup software it is only the size of the data after compression that we charge to store and that is only if your data is over 1gb compressed. If your data is under 1gb compressed there is no charge to use the datamonster service. So when you look at the size of your important files on your own computer please bear in mind that compressed data will always be less. After backup has been completed you will always receive a confirmation email to confirm how much data has been backed up and what it has been compressed to. The percentage amount that a file can be actually compressed will depend largely on the type of file. Certain file types react better to compression than others. Word documents, spreadsheets and database files can be reduced by up to 80%. Picture formats such as .jpg and .gif already have compression algorithms applied, so the amount of further reduction is often limited. Its the compressed figure that is used to determine what user package you are on. You can then adjust files being protected up or down anytime you wish. Datamonster elect to pass on the benefit of compression to their users as it maximises the amount of data that can be stored. Many other remote backup providers do not pass on this benefit to their users, which mean that those users will effectively be paying more money for less storage. Datamonster have programmed a default setting that allows for optimum compression without compromising either processing or transfer speed.

External hard drives

External Hard Drives are a reliable method of protecting your important data. If you are currently using an external hard drive to protect your important data there is nothing wrong at all but there are limitations that need to be considered.

Do you take this hard drive off site?

If I do not take the drive of site if something happens to my pc is the same likely to happen to my backup device?

If I take the drive off site how often should I bring it on site to carry out a backup?

How much data is not being backed up in between backups?

How long will it take me to re trace my steps and put this data back on if something happens between backups?

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