Are you backed up?

This is a question that we ask and far too often the answer is “no”. There’s really no reason not to be backing up all your important information using automated software. Whether you rely on DVDs, USB thumb drives, external hard drives or online storage there are a multitude of choices to keep all your files safe.  Today we’re looking at a couple different choices for online storage.

Free, totally free!

http://mozy.com (PC and Mac 2GB storage free, $4.95/mo per computer for unlimited storage.)

Although 2GB isn’t very much space these days, you’ll be able to get all your important word docs, excel sheets and a handful of photos protected for free.  They have free software that automates the process of backing up so you don’t have to think about it once it’s set up.  After you max out the 2GB of free storage their $4.95/mo for unlimited space is a great deal.

http://www.getdropbox.com (PC and Mac 2GB storage free, 50GB for $9.99/mo)

Dropbox is another backup software with a bit of a twist.  Once your install it on computer the online storage acts like a local folder and automatically backs itself up while you work. Drag and drop your files from other folders seamlessly onto your remote storage. Set it up as your “documents” folder and work from the online storage all the time. What’s really nice about their interface is that you can install Dropbox on multiple computers and access the same folders and files from where ever you are.  This gives you the added benifit of keeping all your files in sync and backed up at the same time.

Cheap and good

Not every online backup provider offers a free option, but the pay-for solutions below have features and options that you just can’t find for free.

http://www.backblaze.com (PC and Mac, $5/mo per computer, 15 dayfree trial available)

Backblaze offers a $5/mo per computer, unlimited storage package with automated backup software to safely backup all your files on shcedule.  What’s really great about their offerings is they will overnight you a DVD or USB drive of all your files if you need to do disaster recovery (you can of course download the files directly still).  Afterall, if youhave 400-500 GB or more of files backed up it might take you a week to download everything back onto your desktop, this is a much better way to recover from a drive failure and get back up and running. quickly

http://www.adrive.com (PC, Mac and Linux, $7/mo for 50GB of storage, 14 day free trial available)

ADrive has a basic free package for home users (ad supported) that comes with 50GB of online space, however it does not support automated backups (the whole point of this post)  Their $7/mo plan is where they really shine.  It comes with 50GB space like the free version but has free automated backup software for Windows, Mac and Linux, 14 day history of files (ever change or delete a file and wish you had an older version to go back to?), WebDAV, multiple concurrent sessions, 24/7 support and no ads.

http://jungledisk.com (PC, Mac and Linux, $2/mo + $.15 per gig of storage used per month, 30 day money back guarantee)

Jungledisk uses distributed server technology to host your backup files.  What this means is that your files are stored on multiple servers across the country for high bandwidth and availability.  Their pricing is fair, pay for what you use.  It’s $2/mo  for access and then $0.15 per GB of storage space.  Make sure you choose the Rackspace option, not the Amazon S3 one or you’ll have to pay for bandwidth as well ($.10 per GB uploaded adds up quickly).

http://www.carbonite.com (PC and Mac, $54.95/yr unlimited storage or about $4.60/mo, 15 day free trial )

Nothing special about Carbonite, just completely automated secure backups with unlimited storage.  They also have a small program to install on your PC or Mac that automates the backup process. It’s easy to use and convenient for home users without a lot of techie bells and whistles to get in your way.

These are just a couple of the excellent backup options that are out there.  Do you use a different backup software that you’d recommend?  Let us know about it through the “contact us” page!