Online Backup Solutions for Disaster Prevention
When it comes to backing up data, you’d think I had it all taken care of. I have two external hard drives connected to my workstation, and I’m supposed to sync the files on these drives every day, so I have two backups- but I don’t, of course. I save everything on one drive, foolishly confident that the latter won’t freeze up and die on me all of a sudden.
Which it did. Two days ago. Right before my eyes, folders on the drive were disappearing. And I lost everything on it.
It wasn’t all bad, of course- I still had the data on the other drive, but it was about a month old. Everything since then- photos, videos, PSDs, music files- was gone.
Since then, I’ve been researching various online backup solutions, and that’s what I want to post about today. Here are the best of what I’ve found:
Mozy.
Their MozyHome solution costs $4.95 a month for one computer with unlimited backup. They also offer a 2GB account for free, no strings attached- perfect if you need to backup only a couple of important files, not your entire system. A Google search on Mozy will bring up a lot of good and bad user reviews, but for something simple and very affordable, it’s definitely one to look at.
Dropbox.
This one’s probably got the best interface, IMHO. Dropbox works sort of like Mac’s iDisk- it shows up as a disk on your desktop- but it’s really more of online storage space rather than a full-on backup service. If that’s all you need, this might just be the best choice. Check out their screencast for details on exactly how it works. You can get a free account that includes 2GB, or upgrade to 50GB for $9.99 a month.
Backblaze.
Backblaze is one of the newer services. I actually did try it out a few months ago, but although I was impressed by its ease of use (set it and forget it), I didn’t like that I couldn’t choose exactly what was going to be backed up (only what was excluded). I’m a bit of a control freak, though, so if you want something fuss-free that’ll back your data up while you carry on with your life, do look at Backblaze. It’s $5 a month per computer for unlimited storage, and they have a free trial for Intel Macs.
Google Storage.
The three solutions I’ve mentioned above are all traditional backup and storage services, but given that all my email is forwarded to my Gmail account anyway, and with the announcement of Chrome OS, I have to consider the option of storing my data with Google. I am currently using about 3 gigs of my alloted 7.95 gigs at Gmail, and it turns out I can purchase additional storage from Google, starting at 10GB for $20 a year.
Do you use any online backup solutions? What services do you recommend?
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You forgot about carbonite. They are one of the biggest players in the consumer level online backup game.
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Thanks for mentioning Carbonite- I actually didn’t realize there was a Mac version of it (somehow missed that large orange button at the top, lol), but I’m looking forward to checking it out as well.
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If you use Windows you can try a new CloudBerry Online Backup powered by Amazon S3. It has friendly user interface, scheduling capabilities and provides unlimited data storage.
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Mozy is good choice if you want to ensure the service is strong enough to survive economy crisis. At least it’s back by storage company EMC.
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Faced with an almost full hard drive on my laptop I decided to use Mozy to store my photos and free up some space.
Mozy was easy to install, set-up and use but what i failed to realise was that, once you have selected the directories you want backing up, it mirrors your selection. So, if you back-up your photos and then delete them from your hard drive Mozy will also delete the backed up files!
The other problem was data transfer speed. Even when running at full speed on my broadband connection, I realized that I was adding new photo files quicker than Mozy could back them up!
A 500GB USB drive has sorted my problem out.
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Thanks for posting about your experience, Toni- I’m also having issues with speed. 80 days to backup my computer? Seriously?
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Hi Lorraine – sorry to hear about your data loss! At least it was only a month’s worth, and not everything. I’m backing up nearly 200GB to Mozy these days, but yesterday I had an OS scare, and thought I’d have to reinstall Vista & all my apps, so I also added a local backup using Acronis, before it was too late.
If you’re interested in saving 20% with Mozy, I have an exclusive Mozy Promotional Code to help you (and your readers) out!
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SugarSync is also a great solution for backup and remote access. They support Mac, Windows and mobile (free apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile). Plus you can get 2 GB free to try it out.
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CrashPlan is very easy to use and install at the same price-point as mozy.
Full disclosure: I’m a CrashPlan developer and I’m a little biased, so don’t take my word for it. Compare the features and try it out!
http://crashplan.com
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I’m surprised no one has mentioned Jungle Disk yet ( http://www.jungledisk.com ). I use it, love it, and highly, highly recommend it. I did a ton of research before I took the plunge and decided to drop TWO DOLLARS PER MONTH on it. Storage is provided through Amazon’s amazing Simple Storage Service (S3) product, which ensures that your data is in multiple data centers across the nation at all times. That way, even if a site is completely nuked for some reason, your data is always around. The cost for S3 is .15 per GB stored per month and the cost for uploading is .10 / GB / month.
My favorite feature of Jungle Disk itself is that it versions multiple copies of your data so that in the even that you save something you shouldn’t have, you can roll back the change and open up an older version of that same file.
Anyway, I could go on and on. You should take a look at it for yourself though.
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Thanks for posting about Jungle Disk, Andrew! I hadn’t heard of it before, and $2 a month sounds like a great deal for what it is. And yay, it’s for Mac users too
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How about SkyDrive from Microsoft , a 25 GB of free storage !
check it out
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What about Keepit?
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Mozy and carbonite have a dirty little secret you should know about.
If you loose a file for any reason (deleted it, got corrupt, hard disk problem) Mozy/carbonite software will detect this and actually delete the file off its server.
This is no joke. It happened to me.
Mozy/Carbonite covers their ass because they give you 30 days to recover the file using their archive retrieval process.
But what if you didn’t know that your file got corrupt or you deleted it by accident? Well, too bad. Its gone on the 31st day.
This is just insane and not a backup strategy at all. It goes against everything a backup strategy is – to protect you from loosing data for ANY reason.
If you don’t believe me, go to this link from the mozy support site.
http://support.mozy.com/docs/en-user-home-win/faq/concepts/deletefile_markedforbackup_faq.html
“If you delete a document and then run a backup, Mozy assumes that you no longer need a backup copy of that document, and marks the file to be removed from our system. (We keep it on file for 30 days, just in case you change your mind.)”
Are you kidding me? Assumes?
Bottom line – mozy/carbonite is not a backup strategy. It’s a waste of your money. Buy an external HD (they are cheap) and bring it over a friends house to keep off-site.
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I like online backup and favor BackupandShare.com.It is a great service for personal use or people looking for inexpensive online backup.It is very simple to use with features like incremental automatic and scheduled backup. It is a secured, easy-to-use online backup service that automatically keeps files and digital assets safe and easily accessible.
With backupandShare Windows mobile backup solution comes free.