TARGETED ADVERTISING OVER GLOBAL COMPUTER NETWORKS

A method and system for presenting targeted advertising during an Internet-based connection, such as a web-based data backup session in which data is communicated from a user computer to a remote storage area for archival via the Internet. According to the invention, the user computer is communicatively coupled to the server via a computer network and an asset profile for the computer is generated. The asset profile identifies the software applications that are currently loaded on the computer and the current hardware configuration for the computer including a processor type and connected hardware devices. In addition, the asset profile contains usage information such as a frequency of use for the various software applications. As a function of the uploaded asset profile, advertisements are selected from an advertisement database and are communicated to the computer for display to the user. Because of the detailed asset information, targeted advertising information having a high correlation to the user's computing behavior can be selected and displayed.