Online backup ranks among the
most popular software topics on PCMag.com. It's no surprise, since all
the numbers point to the need for backing up your treasured files: Every
year, 43 percent of computer users lose irreplaceable data. Why?
Because users don't perform regular, frequent backups. An Iomega study
showed that 69 percent of home users back up once a month or less.
Data loss can be heartbreaking enough when your personal photos,
videos, and music make up the data in question. But if you've got a
small business, the potential damage may be even more devastating: 70
percent of small firms that experience a major data loss go out of
business within a year, according to a recent study by HP.
Simpler, More Reliable
Online backup services make this safeguarding your data easier and more
reliable. Since the files are stored on remote, redundant servers, your
lost laptop or crashed hard drive is covered, and if a disaster strikes
your premises, your backup won't rely on physical discs. And these
services all automate the actual back up procedure, so you don't have to
remember to plug in your external drive or load a blank DVD and hit
"Start backup." As long as you've got an Internet connection, the
services can automatically grab changed files up to their secure servers
while your PC is idle.
Common pricing for online backup runs at about $55 a year for
unlimited storage for one PC. Some services let you back up as many PCs
as you want in an account, but charge you for storage space in 25GB
increments.
What To Look For
When evaluating online backup services, I look for ease and flexibility
of setting up your backup jobs, along with a secure and simple restore
procedure. Plusses include the ability to back up network and external
drives, to save multiple versions of backed up files, to watch and
immediately upload changed files, and to add files to the backup set
from within Windows Explorer. My Editors' Choice,
SOS Online Backup $9.99 at SOS Online Backup, has led the way in offering all of this.
This roundup highlights some of the less-popular options, some of
which are nonetheless worth consideration. Since the last big roundup of
backup services, I've revisited IDrive and Norton Online Backup, both
of which came out unflatteringly in previous reviews. I'm happy to
report that all have made great strides. A couple desirable features
that distinguish both are their ability to handle multiple PCs within a
single account and to backup up removable and network disks.
Recently rebranded as KineticD,
Data Deposit Box
is another smaller player that wasn't reviewed in time for our last
roundup. The service offers simple and powerful backup features,
including multiple PC coverage in one account, versioning, and live
protection. But it trailed other services a bit when it came to
restoring data and couldn't back up network drives.
Market leader Mozy also was due for another look, and the service
MozyHome 2.0
got a shiny new, improved interface that makes the process of choose
what file to back up and when much simpler. It also adds a local backup
option, which means you can restore a lot faster than over the internet
if you choose both online and local targets. And it saves 30 days worth
of your file versions, but it still lacks the multiple PC and external
drive capabilities.
The online portion of
Nero's BackItUp & Burn
also offers both local and online backup, but could still use some
smoothing out. The service now also comes as part of the company's
excellent media suite, so you might like it if you like getting all your
tools as a bundle.
Our Next Reviews
Our longstanding Editors' Choice,
SOS Online Backup,
also supports multiple machines in the base account along with offering
the most options in the best designed interface. But SOS will be coming
out with a new version in Summer 2010. A company representatives tells
me the new version will expand on the mobile, media, sharing, and
management features it released in late 2009 and have revised pricing.
Another market leader,
Carbonite,
is also being updated, with a target of this fall. That update will
include a new Restore Manager that makes getting files back even easier,
the company tells me.
Look for new reviews of Carbonite, SOS, and others in the coming months,
along with a more in-depth guide to online backup. In the meanwhile,
here are a handful of choice that can help you get your data backed up,
the simplest, most reliable way—the online way.
Data Deposit Box (now called KineticD)
$2/GB direct
This is one of the most complete online backup packages I've seen. And
although it might appear pricy, you can add multiple machines to one
account, which the competition charges extra for.
IDrive
$4.95/month direct
IDrive's
support for up to five computers in one account, version saving, Web
interface and fast operation are welcome, but you can't mix Macs and
PCs, and there are still some rough edges, compared with the
competition. Still, the service is much improved since our last review.
MozyHome 2.0
$54.95/year direct
Mozy
improves ease of use and setup, but still supports just one computer
per account and doesn't let you back up network or removable drives.
That keeps it a step behind the competition.
Nero BackItUp & Burn
$99.99 list
Nero
has trimmed down its full-service media suite to the most in-demand
data-protection apps and given them a simple, slick interface. But many
of this product's tasks are better handled by standalone solutions.
BackItUp & Burn is also now standard with Nero Media Suite.
Norton Online Backup 2.0
$49.99 direct
With
this release, Norton has brought its online backup service's features
into the mainstream. Support for multiple PCs, including Macs, in one
account and a slick Web-based user interface make this a Norton Online
Backup 2.0 a real contender.
Online Backup Services: Other Players
There are plenty more players in the online backup game. If you're
willing to check out some of the many lesser-known online backup
competitors for yourself, here are a few you can start with that are on
my radar for future reviews:
CloudBerry Online Backup
EZStash
SoSure
Spare Backup
Memopal
Look for reviews of these and updates of the better-known players getting updates in the near future.
