IBM Corp., Microsoft Corp., Symantec Corp. and others have recently announced new cloud data storage services. These come on the heels of earlier announcements by companies including EMC Corp., Iron Mountain and Seagate Technology, to name a few. Despite pronouncements by some that cloud backup isn't just marketing hype, serious doubts remain.

The good news is that to a limited degree, cloud storage is real and can save you money, when used appropriately. However, cloud storage isn't a magic bullet, and there are several issues to consider.

In this tutorial on cloud backup, you will learn the pros and cons cloud backup, how cloud storage is changing data protection and disaster recovery and the differences in the cost of cloud backup vs. traditional backup.