Norton 360 provides you with secure backup storage space on a server that is accessible to your PC through its Internet connection.

When your backup location is distant from your PC, your data is safe from local disasters, such as a fire, flood, or earthquake.

Although online backup is convenient and safe, when choosing it for your backup method keep in mind the following limitations:

Speed limitations

The amount of time that it takes to transfer your backup to the secure online storage depends on the speed of your Internet connection. If you have many files to back up, the first backup can take hours or days, depending on the speed of your Internet connection. Furthermore, many home and small business Internet connections are asymmetrical, meaning that their upload speeds are slower than their download speeds. A single large file, such as a music file or a high-quality photograph, may take several minutes or longer to upload to your secure online storage.

If you have many large files and an asymmetrical or slow Internet connection, consider the use of one of the other backup locations that Norton 360 provides. You can then use your secure online storage to back up your smaller files, such as your financial documents and word processing documents.

If a backup is in progress, you should leave your PC turned on, so that the backup can finish. However, if a backup is interrupted, then the next time it starts, it resumes where it left off and continues until it finishes.

Storage limitations

Norton 360 provides sufficient online storage to handle many of your backup needs, and you can purchase more storage when you need it. Nonetheless, the amount of space in your secure online storage is much smaller than the typical permanent disk that most recent PCs have. Online backups are best for the files that you regularly work on; you should back up large files and files that seldom change to a different location.

In addition, you should periodically look over the files that you have in your secure online storage. Eliminate those files that you no longer need, to make additional storage space available.

Activating online backup

Norton 360 uses your Norton Account to keep track of the following:

• The PCs that you back up to online storage
• the amount of online storage space that you have available

The first time you configure online backup, Norton 360 connects to your Norton Account and requests that you sign in to the account. You may have established a Norton Account when you installed Norton 360 or when you installed another Norton product.

To sign in to your Norton Account, you use the email address and the password that you supplied when you created your Norton Account. You only need to sign in to your Norton Account the first time that you configure online backup. Norton 360 retains your account information so you do not have to sign in again. If you do not have a Norton Account when you configure online backup for the first time, Norton 360 lets you create one.

You can share the online storage space that is allocated for your Norton Account among your computers. For example, you have two computers and 2 GB of online storage space is allocated for your Norton Account. You can share the storage space among your two computers. You use 1 GB of online storage space for your first computer. When you activate the online storage for your second computer using the same Norton Account, that computer can use the remaining 1 GB of online storage space.

Purchasing more online storage space

Your Norton 360 subscription comes with an allotment of secure online storage space. When Norton 360 performs an online backup, it calculates the amount of space that it needs for the backup. If your secure online storage does not contain sufficient space for the backup, Norton 360 notifies you and provides an option for you to buy more space.

You do not have to wait until Norton 360 tells you that you need more online storage space. You can purchase additional space at any time.

You must be connected to the Internet to purchase more online storage space.

It may take about 30 seconds for the status on the My Account page to display the amount of space that you just purchased.

To purchase additional online storage space when backing up

1. When Norton 360 notifies you that it needs more online storage space, click Buy More Space.
Your Web browser opens to a secure page, on which you can purchase additional online storage space.
2. Follow the instructions on the secure Web page to purchase additional online storage space.
To purchase additional online storage space at other times

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click My Account.
2. In the My Account window, click Buy More Storage.
Your Web browser opens to a secure page, on which you can purchase additional online storage space.
3. Follow the instructions on the Web page to purchase additional online storage space.