I used to be like most people who would answer those questions with the following answers: “Huh?”, “No”, “No”, “Yes!”

I also burned through several computers and even more hard drives in the last few years. Each time, I wished I’d had a backup, but I didn’t.

I am fairly certain all that is behind me now. I’m a stickler for backing up, but I don’t have to even think about it anymore. That’s a good thing, because my memory is terrible, so I would never remember it on my own.

What’s the very best way to backup your computer? Automatically and off-site. You don’t want to rely on your memory (because then it won’t happen), and you don’t want it in the same location as your computer. These days, that is now extremely simple to accomplish with Online Backup services.

There are a few million online backup services these days. Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit there, but really, there are tons of companies that are vying for your business in the online backup field.

I had planned to present a long list of online backup companies, with comparison data on each, to help you decide which to use. But I changed my mind. Why?

Any service designed for someone like me – someone who likes things easy and at the right price – needs to pass 3 tests. (Four actually, if you want to include the requirement of backing up off-site, but since all online services would automatically pass that test, I’ve skipped that).

The 3 tests are:

1. Unlimited (backup as much data as needed)
2. Automatic (no need to remember to do it)
3. Less than $5/month

Amazingly enough, I was only able to find 2 services that passed all 3 tests.

• Most passed the second requirement of being automated (although not all did).
• Very few passed the “I’m cheap” test, but there were a few more than 2.
• But only two provided unlimited backup at such a cheap price (that I could find).

Most services charge x dollars per x gigs backed up, and depending upon how much data you have, that could mean nickel and diming you to death. It’s certainly possible that I missed a company that fits the requirements when I did my researching, but that’s ok. The two that meet the requirements are really great and there’s no reason not to pick one of them for your online backup service.

Ok, enough blah blah blah. Which two online backup services are the winners?

Mozy has unlimited backup for $4.95/month (or you can even limit yourself to 2 GB for free, if you want). If you want to save a little more money, you can choose the 1 year payment plan, which gets you one month free, or the 2 year payment plan, which gets you three months free.

The first backup will take a while, but after the first full backup, only files that have been added or changed are backed up, making it lightning fast. Backups occur at scheduled times.

There are 4 ways to restore files with Mozy. The first restore option is to simply right-click on the file or folder in Windows Explorer that you want to restore and select “Restore Previous Version.” You can then select the version to restore, from the most recent version up to 30 days back. You can also restore from the web (mostly useful if you either don’t have Mozy installed or you need to restore less than 20 GB), or you can restore from a virtual drive on your computer. Finally, you can choose a DVD Restore for large restores (order a copy of all data on dvd. This costs extra, but the DVDs are shipped overnight via fedx).

Carbonite offers nonstop unlimited backup for 49.95/year, which is $4.16/month, so it’s a tad bit cheaper than Mozy. Unlike Mozy, it doesn’t schedule backups. Instead, the moment you add or modify files, Carbonite swings into action to back up your new or updated data.

As far as I can tell, there are 2 ways to restore files with Carbonite. You can either click on the Carbonite Backup Drive found in your “My Computer” directory, or you can restore from the web.

Both Mozy and Carbonite are simple to use. If I had to pick, I’d say Carbonite was slightly easier to use, but both are straightforward and easy. Both come pre-configured with “suggested” files to download such as your documents, music, and photos. Both allow you to manually adjust those suggestions, of course. Both are set and forget. Once you spend the few minutes it takes to configure the software, you pretty much never have to think about it again – unless, of course you need to restore files. Again, the process is fairly simple to restore for both Mozy and Carbonite.

I can easily recommend either service. Which do I use – and why? Well, because I live in a rural area and therefore am limited to using satellite service for “high-speed” Internet access, my access is actually limited on a daily basis due to some regulation that imposes usage thresholds (FAP – Fair Access Policy). My satellite service does not place restrictions on usage during a two hour period in the middle of the night, so they encourage all automated usage processes (such as remote backup of files) be scheduled during this time. If I schedule my remote backup during that 2-hour time frame, I don’t have to worry about the transfer counting towards my FAP usage, so I won’t be penalized for using too much bandwidth. For that reason, I cannot use Carbonite, since it isn’t a “scheduled” service. I can’t tell it to only backup to the remote server during that 2-hour time frame. For most of you, that limitation won’t apply, so Carbonite will work fine for you (and may even be preferable to have it upload as files change throughout the day). But for me, it’s just not a workable solution, so Mozy is my remote backup service of choice.

[slightly off-topic] BTW, satellite internet service is the worst choice you can make, so unless it’s your only choice, don’t even consider it. If you have no other choice, be sure to read up thoroughly on the subject of FAP. Oh, and if you want my advice on whether you should pick Wildblue or Hughesnet … Hughesnet is by far the better satellite service in my experience, and I’ve used both. [/slightly off-topic]

Mozy
Carbonite

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carbonite, Internet access, Microsoft Windows, Mozy, off-site, online backup, online backup field, online backup service, Online Backup services, remote backup, remote server, satellite internet service, satellite service, workable solution, Yes!
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The very worst thing that can happen to a site is to lose it – I’m talking about having all of its files and data deleted. This might be because of your web host’s server problems. Servers have hard drives crash all the time. If you have a great host, they’ve got a recent backup of your site and all its data, and they will restore it pronto. But for some reason, no one I know, ever seems to have that great host.

You need to assume that no matter how much you love your web host, something will go wrong, and they will NOT be able to restore your site. What’s the plan for that? Back it up yourself. Every day. Without fail. Automate the process if you can, but if not, do it manually. There is a HUGE chance you will be glad you did one day.

For one of my sites, I have a host that runs a backup of both files and databases and stores them all in one convenient folder (outside of public view). I use an automated service called BQBackup to grab those files and databases every night and store them for me. I have another site on a different host that doesn’t do this, so I have to log into CPanel every night and download its backup file manually. I wish I could automate that as well, but the manual process will have to suffice for now. But it’s worth it! I urge you to implement some sort of site backup plan for both your files and database. You might also want to have a second host picked out in case you ever need to quickly switch to a new host. I’ve needed to do that before as well.

Ok, that covers site backup disasters. What happens if you personally cannot get online? Do you have a backup plan for when your Internet connection will be down for an extended period of time? Or what about your own computer? What if YOUR hard drive fails or something else causes your computer to crash and burn? Is your data backed up? (I use Mozy for this). Do you have a second machine you can use temporarily? Do you have a backup Internet connection you can use?

I urge you to consider all of these scenarios. Each of these disasters has happened to me on more than one occasion. It has taken years for each subsequent disaster to sink into my stubborn brain, but I’m finally prepared for almost any disaster I can think of – whether it’s in real life (like a hurricane) or a business or site disaster. I’m ready. Are you?

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: backup Internet connection, bqbackup, databases, files, Internet connection, Mozy, online backups, site backup, web host
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Oh well, I’ll just use my brand new Lexar USB Flash Drive as a backup drive. For now, I’ll just copy my Documents folder over to the flash drive once in a while, and I’m also backing everything up nightly to Mozy Online Backup, so that should suffice.

I wish the Portable Apps idea had panned out, but I think my workarounds will work fine.

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: backups, drawbacks, Mozy, online backup, portable apps, slow, usb flash drive
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First of all, I was amazed to find Mozy. * This service is free for the first 2GB (which is a lot of data), and unlimited storage is only $4.95/month. That’s pretty incredible. I don’t see myself needing the unlimited version any time soon, so I tried out the free version yesterday. I downloaded a program which set itself up and even suggested what to back up. I can change the suggestions, but I was happy with what it deemed to be important. I told it to back up during computer idle time, but I could have chosen a set schedule if I’d wanted. I don’t have much data yet, but it estimated it would take about 15 minutes to back it all up. I’m not sure if that ended up being true or not, since it happened when I went to bed. This morning though, it had all worked well. Here’s a screenshot (reduced) to prove it.

Here’s some facts from the Mozy FAQ.

• Is simple to set up
• Performs backups automatically in the background
• Encrypts all files on your PC before transfer
• Performs incremental backups
• Backs up only blocks that have changed
• Backs up open/locked files

Your first backup might take a while, but after that, the time will be shortened considerably. Mozy does differential backups, meaning it only backs up the files that have changed since the last time they were backed up.

I also plan to buy several thumbdrives for things like pictures and music that I’d want to be portable anyway, but I want to know that my important stuff (email, etc.) is safely backed up somewhere else, and that I can get to it anywhere, anytime. And the price (free) is definitely right.

*

© Donna for DazzlinDonna, 2007. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: backups, Mozy, online backup model, online backup options, online backups, remote backups
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