Despite my best efforts, this past week I lost both my primary and secondary computer systems. After losing my primary desktop several years ago, I vowed I would never let myself be caught without an operating PC. As they say, “the road to h*ll is paved with good intentions,” and I once again was caught with my proverbial pants down without an operating computer when my desktop, which had been exhibiting some problem signs in the last month, died suddenly and would not turn on.

I then went to my laptop, which I had admittedly been lazy about keeping updated, and turned it on. Immediately the Windows update process started, and asked me install Service Pack 3 for Windows XP. Having done that successfully on my desktop, I wasn’t too worried about any installation problems on the laptop. However, upon completing the installation, the blue screen of death appeared, which is NEVER a good sign with a Windows-based system.

After trying for about an hour without success to revive my laptop (which is only 8 months old and still under warranty), I knew that I was in trouble and starting looking for alternatives. Fortunately, my husband keeps a laptop on hand that he uses for gaming when we travel, and he generously offered to let me install my programs and files on it until I could repair one of my computers.

After finally acknowledging that there was no way I could have foreseen this situation, I decided that I needed to s*ck it up, get over, and move on. So, I’m making do with a partially customized laptop that will do until one or the other of my PCs is returned.

Despite having gone through similar situations previously, I still learned a few new things along the way about data recovery and computer backup. Here are the 10 most effective tools that saved my bacon during my recent computer meltdown.

1. Automatic backup software. I’ve been using 2 online backups, Carbonite and Syncplicity. I have had to restore from Carbonite previously, and I found the process to be lengthy and somewhat confusing. So, several months ago I began using Syncplicity because it offers online access to all backed up files as well as the ability to synchronize an unlimited number of computers. However, it has taken a week to restore 20 GB of data with Syncplicity, and some of the data was wasn’t really restored, despite what Syncplicity told me in my account. However, I can easily download this missing info to my computer from the online vault. One process that makes this backup system easier is that I store all of my data files in My Docs so I don’t have to hunt them down in Program Files, or wherever they are typically stored.

2. Email client software. I still use the dinosaur Eudora for my email client. Old habits die hard, I suppose. However, somehow I missed marking some key Eudora folders to back up, and so I was initially using my webmail access providing by my hosting company to access email because of this oversight with Eudora. I began to tire of that quickly, as I had no way to create additional folders in those systems, so I then decided to manually configure Eudora and open folders and emails as I need them in the program. This experience has made me very tempted to change all of my incoming and outgoing email servers on all domains to Gmail just to have access to everything online, come hurricane, flood, tornado, or computer crash.

3. Bookmark service. I’m an avid researcher and resource collector, so having access to my bookmarks, or favorites file, is vital to my day-to-day operations. I had been using Spurl, but because of frequent periodic outages of their service, I’ve changed to Foxmarks. I like that this service offers me the ability to access all of these online, as well as have them at my fingertips any time I need them from my Bookmarks menu as well as easily synchronize them to any computer.

4. Contact management. Even though I don’t use Outlook for email, I do use it for calendar and contact management. I had been using Plaxo as an online backup for my contacts, but it doesn’t permit me to store my notes about each contact. I’ve been using Airset now for several months, and it regularly syncs my contacts (with notes) and my calendar to their online service. I found this much more convenient than trying to restore a backup PST file to Outlook and then repeating that again when my primary computer is returned. Instead, I just make changes to contacts and my calendar on Airset, and I’ll just sync that to Outlook on my desktop.

5. Passwords. I’ve been using Roboform for years to help me manage my passwords. I’ve got my Roboform data in My Docs, so it was a breeze to reinstall Roboform and copy the data folder to the new computer and permit me to access all of the sites requiring a password and username. Finally, something that worked seamlessly!

6. Project Management. Smartsheet has been my project management service for the last few months. I love that it has the ability to create an item and allow you to attach a document and discussion to that item. Rather than having to hunt down information about a project, all I had to do was log into my Smartsheet account and there it was.

7. Software licenses. Roughly 99% of the new software I install is downloaded and I don’t get a physical copy on CD. Therefore, I make sure that I have the downloaded version in a My Downloads folder that’s a part of My Docs file, which is backed up regularly. And, I make a PDF copy of the software license that I get by email and store in a Software folder, also in My Docs. Lastly, I purchased a very inexpensive program, Registration Vault, that lets me store all of my software license and purchase info and permits me to back up my data to My Docs. As I had to reinstall software on a new computer, it was easy to restore the Registration Vault files, get my software license number, and have a fully functioning piece of software within minutes.

8. Accounting. I use Quickbooks for my accounting needs, and while they do offer an online version, I haven’t yet moved to that. Instead, I back up Quickbooks after every use in the My Docs folder. When I needed to invoice consulting clients at the beginning of this month, all I had to do was reinstall Quickbooks and restore my latest backup. I instantly had everything I needed again at my fingertips.

9. Alternate free services. Some software I use, like CuteFTP and TraxTime, don’t permit data backups. So, I really do have to start all over with my FTP info and my time tracking info when my computer dies. Rather than installing these programs on the new computer, I just used some free alternatives to get me through. FireFTP, a Firefox add-on, has worked quite well for me as my FTP client, and MyHours.com has stood in fairly well for TraxTime, although it requires a few more steps for operation than TraxTime.

10. Email marketing. While not a tool, I discovered that both text and HTML versions of email broadcasts matter in email marketing. I wasn’t initially able to get my normal email client up and running, so I was reading my email from my webmail systems. I’ve got 2 hosting accounts, and the newer one has a fairly sophisticated webmail system and let me read HTML emails with no problem. The other, however, doesn’t permit HTML viewing. So, those emails sent only in HTML were ones that I was unable to read. If you’re wise and your email marketing program permits you to send emails out in both plain text and HTML, do it, even though it might seem like a needless pain. You just never know how members of your list might be forced to ready your emails.

As you might gather, I’ve discovered that online services have provided me with the greatest backup to help me through this computer crisis. My lesson? Duplicate as much as you can in online systems. In this way, you’ll have access to your data when you travel, when you have a computer crash, or when you’re faced with a natural disaster.

]]> http://priceburner.com/online-backup/151/remote-backup/carbonite-vs-mozy-which-online-backup-is-best/feed/ 10 http://priceburner.com/online-backup/162/online-backup/carbonite-vs-mozy-home-which-service-holds-the-edge-for-online-backup/ http://priceburner.com/online-backup/162/online-backup/carbonite-vs-mozy-home-which-service-holds-the-edge-for-online-backup/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 20:59:35 +0000 Nick Kurentz http://priceburner.com/online-backup/162/online-backup/carbonite-vs-mozy-home-which-service-holds-the-edge-for-online-backup/ Carbonite vs Mozy Home is the ultimate match-up between two of the leading online backup services available today. In this day in age where data loss, virus attacks, computer crashes, and theft are too common, it’s imperative computer files are backed up regularly and that’s where these two providers come into play.

So why only compare Carbonite vs Mozy Home? The answer is easy. These are the two most popular and widely used online backup services for home users right now. They dominate this market because they both are easy to use and very inexpensive. The real question is, which one is best? Let’s take a look at some of the most important areas to evaluate when it comes to online backup and see how these two providers compare.

Cost & Storage Capacity

The amount of data you can backup online and the cost of doing so are probably the two areas of concern that come to mind immediately for home users contemplating which backup provider to choose. Both Carbonite and Mozy Home offer unlimited backup. It doesn’t matter if you have a few files to backup or several thousand, you won’t have anything to worry about with either provider. Carbonite offers one, two, and three year subscriptions. The one year subscription costs $54.95. Mozy Home offers a month-to-month plan and one and two year subscriptions. Their month-to-month plan costs $4.95/month while their one year subscriptions are $54.45.

Ease of Use

Both providers promise their services are easy to use and that the backup process when using their services is literally “set and forget.” According to most users of both services, Carbonite and Mozy Home deliver on those promises. There is one common complaint, however, for both providers and that is the time it takes for the initial backup. It’s important to point out that this isn’t the fault of either service provider. The time it takes for the initial backup is totally dependent on amount of the data that needs to be backed up and the speed of your Internet connection. If you have 30GB of data that needs to be backed up initially it will take roughly the same amount of time using either one of these providers because of the constraints of upload speeds of most Internet connections. While the match up in this area seems to be even, Carbonite takes the slight edge over Mozy Home according to users because of its simple interface. Mozy Home has more advanced settings within its interface which may satisfy computer geeks but it seems to be overwhelming for some home users. 

Backup Process and Security

Carbonite and Mozy Home both allow automatic or scheduled backups so that you can just install the software, run the initial backup and select your backup settings (automatic or scheduled), and then just literally forget about it. As for security, both of these online backup service providers use advanced technology to ensure that your files are encrypted on your computer before they are uploaded to their secured servers. Both services keep your files encrypted while being stored on their servers.

Restoring Files

Carbonite uses a standard process for restoring files which is activated simply by using the restore function in the software’s desktop interface. With Mozy Home, you can restore your files using one of three methods: desktop interface restore, web restore, and DVD restore. It is also important to note that with both Carbonite and Mozy Home, restoring a large set of data and files can take a while so if you have 30GB of data to restore, don’t expect to have it back on your computer within a few hours. Instead, it can take a few days. 

Customer Support

In this category, users of both services say their is need for improvement. There have been comments from users of both providers that support can be slow at responding to customer queries and that the information they are given isn’t complete and thorough. Overall, Carbonite has the edge because it offers phone, live chat, and email support. Mozy Home only offers live chat and email support.

Carbonite vs Mozy Home Summary

Judging from the above feature-for-feature match up, Carbonite and Mozy Home are virtually identical in price and features so it’s difficult to declare an absolute winner. Neither one is perfect but you shouldn’t expect that when you’re getting unlimited online storage for less than $5/month. For every customer that swears by Carbonite, there is one that swears by Mozy Home. The match up is virtually dead even. The best thing to do is to try both services to see which one works best for you and to decide which one you like the best. Both services are incredibly cheap and easy to test. Carbonite backup offers a free 15-day trial and Mozy Home has a month-to-month option that only costs $4.95/month. Take them both for a test drive and see for yourself which one is the winner!

Read the full Carbonite vs Mozy Home comparison and review and see which one is declared the “Editor’s Choice” by the editor of the website, best online storage .

What’s Good and Not-so-Good

One great thing about Mozy Home is that there is a free version for those who only have a small amount of data to backup. The free version allows you to backup up to 2GB of data. If you need more space than that, then you’ll need to upgrade to the unlimited plan. Don’t worry, though, because the plan is less than $5 per month and you get unlimited backup storage space!

Getting started with Mozy Home for first-time users is not a problem at all as the setup process is simple and the interface is user-friendly. But don’t be surprised if the initial backup takes days to finish if you have a really large volume of data to back up. The same is true with other online storage and backup services due to the constraints of the upload speeds of Internet connections. Once the initial backup is completed, you can set it to do automatic backups or scheduled backups. From that point forward, Mozy Home works seamlessly in the background without hogging so much of your computer’s resources. The service also gets points when it comes to the security of your files as they are encrypted before leaving your computer and are then uploaded via a secured Internet connection and then stored in their encrypted state on Mozy’s secure servers.

When it comes to restoring your files, Mozy gives you three options on how you want your files restored: desktop, web, and DVD restore. Having multiple options to restore your data is good but some users have reported that the restore process can take a while. In some cases, it can take Mozy a good 24 hours just to prepare your data for restoration if you have a large set of data to restore, and that doesn’t include the time it takes to actually download the files or have them sent to you via the DVDs if you choose that option. For smaller files, you can do a quick and easy desktop restore, where you simply use the restore interface found in your Mozy Home desktop software interface. For larger files however, Mozy recommends you use web restore where you make a restore request directly to Mozy. While the request itself can be done easily, downloading the zip files can take some time, and for those unfamiliar with zip files, sorting through these can be pretty daunting. If either option doesn’t work for you, you can also use the DVD restore alternative and have your files sent to you on DVD for a fee of about $60. Mozy Home also doesn’t fare as well when it comes to customer support, according to some users. For starters, there is no telephone support. You can only contact Mozy via live chat or by email. The other issue is that some users have commented that Mozy can be slow to respond to queries and that the information provided isn’t always thorough. However, many users report that Mozy’s support is responsive and excellent at providing information.

Mozy Home Review Summary

Just like any other online backup service, Mozy Home has its pros and cons. It isn’t perfect but then again no service is. Overall, Mozy Home is an excellent value. To get unlimited backup for less than $5 per month is cheap “insurance” and a great way to protect your important files and data.

Read the full Mozy Home review to get more detailed information and to find out how to get 10% off your subscription! Only then will you be able to decide if it is the best online storage solution for you!

There are many ways to backup your critical computer files. You can do a formal backup, you can drag individual files and folders to a separate drive, you can create CDs and DVDs, and you can even upload important files to a storage spot on the internet.

Formal backup programs often create zip files of your data. They save space, but you will have to restore the everything to access just one of your files. Not convenient. CDs and DVDs have to be lugged around, and it can be difficult to find the latest versions of documents.

If you create the right kind of backups, you will do more than simply have files you can restore. You will create an interactive file system that you can use daily as extra hard drive space and smart file organization, as well as having up-to-date backup copies of all of your important data.

Create Backups You Can Really Use – Synchronize Your Files

You can create a backup system that is easy to maintain — and provides instant access to your data on an individual file basis. Data protection that is also useful on a day to day basis.

Critical Aspects of a Backup System for Your Data

Easy to use: Set the system up once and then it basically runs itself on a pre-set schedule.

Reliable: You don’t want to grab your backup and find out that it really didn’t work and what you thought you had backed up is gone.

Time efficient: Takes minimal time to do the weekly backups after creating the initial full backup.

Quick and direct access to the most recent versions of your files or documents without having to do a ‘restore’ of the whole backup.

Smart backup system: It will update files that have been changed without asking me what to do with each file. Able to be customized to meet your needs.

Can easily use the files on a different computer: Allows you to plug in to a different computer and have immediate access to the files you need.

Synchronization : It will let you determine which files should be updated as well as allow you to let the most recent changes show up on all copies of that file, no matter if it is your main computer copy or your backup hard drive copy.

An effective system can be developed using an external hard drive. For under $100, you can buy a portable wallet-sized hard drive that will store 500 MB or more of your critical data. Non-portable drives are even less expensive, but the portable drive’s small size lets you use it anywhere you are with your computer.

The next step is to find a program that will do the actual file transfer and updating. There are lots of applications available that will perform these functions; some you have to pay for and others are free. A search on the internet will return hundreds of options.

There is a great little program that does almost everything – it’s called SyncBack. It allows me to send easy, one-click backups to my portable hard drive. It automatically updates files on the backup that I have updated on my computer. If I have to delete a bunch of files on my computer to make room for new ones, and I run the backup, it leaves those files on my portable hard drive.

With the gradual transition to a paperless society, the need for online backup services has never been more felt. All sorts of important information and personal files can be rendered irretrievable in a matter of seconds. But by subscribing to an online storage backup facility, these scenarios could be a thing of the past.

And if you think that backup functions are all these services can offer, think again. Here is a rundown of what other benefits can be had from storing your data “in the cloud.”

Data Loss Protection . Computer crashes, hard drive failure, even natural disasters can bring about loss of data. Whether one loses important business documents or personal files, the damage can be just as equally difficult to recover from.

Anytime, Anywhere File Access . External hard drives may be able to provide secure protection from data loss but it does not allow remote access of your files wherever you may be as long as there is an internet connection.

File Sharing . Let family members take a peek at your latest pictures or work colleagues comment on your business proposal. Online storage backups provide for convenient file sharing with other people.

Now the question remains as to what you should look for in a storage service. When comparing backup solutions, ask yourself these five questions:

What features come with the package?

The basic features that most online backup services offer are file storage, remote file access, file sharing, automatic backups, and easy file uploading and downloading. Identify the features you need the most and check out which is the best online storage service for that category.

Is the service secure?

Security is a big issue for many online storage users. Unlike external hard drives where you have physical control over your files, you may think that online services can put your confidential files at a risk of unauthorized access. The good news is, online storage backups use encryption technology and password protection to ensure that your files are completely secure.

Is it the best value-for-money service?

Many online storage services come for free and these may be worth looking into. However, paying a small fee can also give you access to some of the better features such as unlimited storage space.

Is it easy to use?

Storage services should be as user-friendly as possible else you risk the possibility of not being able to backup your files properly. If a software seems too complicated to use, by all means scratch it off your list.

Is there sufficient technical support?

While using the service you may run into some snags. Prepare yourself for these situations by making sure that the online storage service you choose has a complete tutorial, customer service hotline, or online email or chat support.

Now that you know what to look for when finding the best online storage service, be sure to read the online backup reviews of the two most popular and widely used companies that provide easy-to-use and dirt cheap online backup for home users!

Here’s why: 1. Easy to use: Skadoit simply runs in the background of your computer and you never even know that it is there. There is no fancy equipment to buy and there are no hard programs to learn. 2. Always working: Because Skadoit is always working and knows what it wants to accomplish, which is backing up your files, you never have to worry about it. You don’t have to turn it off or on or enable it or disable it, if your computer is up and running so is Skadoit. 3. Safer than most: Almost all the online backup companies that exist today encrypt your files once, but not Skadoit.

4. Works for all computers: Skadoit works for all computers that have been manufactured in the last several years. Whether you are using a PC or a Mac, Skadoit will work for you. 5. Inexpensive: What price would you put on all your personal files? Well Skadoit can protect all of your files for only $59.98 per year for the home version and $129.95 for the business solution. The home user that has multiple computers can take advantage of Skadoit’s 3 Pack for only $99.98. That breaks down to less than $3.00 per month. Talk about cheap piece of mind. 6. Unlimited backup: With such a cheap price tag many people think that Skadoit will limit how much they can backup. Wrong.

7. Ease of recovery: If you do have something happen to your files, then recovery is as easy as one, two, three.

Try before you buy: Who doesn’t like something for free? Skadoit puts its money where its mouth is and lets you try their services for a full 7 days free of charge.

With all these facts about Skadoit it is no wonder they are always on the list of top online backup companies. With Skadoit, you are getting a great company that knows the game of online backup, so you have no excuse to ever lose a file again.

Learn more about Skadoit at our web site.

Skadoit was developed as a franchise by Profran Consultants and Ken Hollowell. Profran Consultants has been developing franchises for over 30 years. The Company provides professional franchise consultant services as well as assistance for companies needing funding for their business.