01What sync does
Sync makes one folder look the same everywhere. Edit a file on your laptop and it changes on your desktop and in the cloud seconds later. That’s exactly what you want for work in progress.
It’s also exactly what you don’t want when something goes wrong. Delete a folder, save over the wrong file, or let ransomware encrypt your disk, and sync faithfully copies that change to every device.
02What a backup does
A backup copies your files somewhere else and keeps earlier versions. Changes on your computer don’t reach back and rewrite the history, so you can restore a file as it was yesterday, last month or before it was deleted.
A good backup is automatic (you won’t remember to run it), off-site (a fire or theft takes the computer and the USB drive together), and versioned.
03Side by side
- Delete a file: sync deletes it everywhere; a backup still has it.
- Save over a file: sync spreads the new copy; a backup keeps the old one.
- Ransomware: sync uploads the encrypted files; a backup lets you restore the versions from before.
- Work across devices: sync is built for it; a backup isn’t.
Most people need both: sync for the folders you work in, a backup for everything you can’t lose.
04The 3-2-1 rule
Keep three copies of anything important, on two different kinds of storage, with one somewhere else. For most people that’s: the files on your computer, an external drive at home, and a cloud backup.
05How harbor0 does both
Sync keeps chosen folders in step on all your computers. If a file changes in two places at once, both versions are kept and the app asks you to review them.
Backups watch the folders you pick and save every version automatically, from all your computers. Backed-up folders are read-only in My Drive, so a mistake in the cloud can’t touch them, and old versions are never removed automatically. Restore any version later.
Both are in every plan, including the free 10 GB. Every version counts towards your storage — work out how much you need.