No matter how great your hosting provider is, there is always the possibility that your website data and files could be compromised.  Be it hardware failure, a malicious attack or hacker, or simply an "oops!" moment, you need a backup of your data and files, period.  Most hosting providers backup their servers weekly, but it is best practice not to rely on their backups, particularly if you are paying for a cheaper, shared hosting account.  The cheaper accounts can be great, particulary for smaller sites, but keep in mind that your host is not in the business of providing robust backup services.  So, in addition to the hosting provider's backups, you need to make your own.

One affordable way to do this is through remote backup services.  These services use the rsync utility to keep a copy of your site on a remote server (totally separate from your hosting provider). Remote backups with Rsync Palace can be paired with any of our hosting plans.  We run the backup nightly, capturing the website files and latest database backup. 

If you host your website elsewhere, you'll just need the ability to run SSH commands to your host and setup shared keys between the Rsync server and your hosting provider.

Below are the Rsync Palace account features:

• Efficient rsync technology via SSH
• Premium Connectivity
• Back up at any given time
• Back up multiple accounts/servers
• Automate with SSH keys
• Run remote commands using shell
• Set up cronjobs that run at any time
• Support for FTP/SCP/SFTP, rSnapshot, rdiff-backup, duplicity
• Web based file and SSH manager
• No data transfer limit
• Mount backup space with Samba
• Free initial backup setup on *nix