[MediaMole]

Since I misinterpreted your post, here’s a good reason for online backup.

Fire.

That said, I use multiple home backups — DVDs and external hard drives as well as online storage.

[Still Thinking]

No, fire is not a good reason (or not a good enough reason) for online data storage. Offsite storage of backups, yes. Online storage, no.

[Still Thinking]

At least not for me. But then I won't have credit cards with RF chips in them either. I tend to be a little paranoid. Question is, am I paranoid enough? ;-)

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“...I use multiple home backups...”

I worked for a major company and their IT operation was at the location where I was when I retired a few years ago. The mainframe data was backed up daily in triplicate and two copies were stored in different locations.

I have a new external drive for my local backup, and have been considering on-line backup as a multiple.

[TruthSetsUFree]

"Since I misinterpreted your post, here’s a good reason for online backup. Fire."

I bought two identical USB external harddrives which I back up everything to. One is stored at my sister's house 80 miles away. The other one is at my house and periodically I swap them to keep the one at my sister's as updated as possible. The chances of the same disaster hitting her house as mine are slim. And if it does, I'll have much more to worry about than data.

I realize it doesn't provide as current an offsite backup as a daily upload to Carbonite, but I do have an offsite backup, and I feel better about my system than uploading my personal files - even if they are encrypted - to someone's server I don't know, and giving possession of them to who knows who.