Choosing an online backup product can be difficult.  So, here at the Web Backup Guide we aim to simplify that process by showing you the options and comparing the products that are available.

There are many competing products and the best way to find the one that is right for you is to give them a go so we have provided links to free trials for each of the most popular pieces of software.  We have tried them all and they are simple to install and use.

When looking for the best online backup software product to suit your needs it is important to think about how much data space you will need (we recommend going for an unlimited plan so that you don’t need to think too hard about it) and where your files are located.  Some of the products will back up mapped network drives and some wont – don’t confuse this with USB harddrives – these are completely different and most backup software can handle USB drives but, if in doubt, check with them before you buy.

Some offer monthly payment plans and some have an annual fee instead – there are also some with free accounts for small amounts of data.

Look at the web backup products in the table and use the Free Trial to see if it’s the one for you!

Technorati Tags: Backup Software, backup software review, Online Backup, Web Backup

Improved memory usage, simpler options and performance improvements are just some of the changes that have been made by the Web Backup software provider, Mozy, in it’s latest release of the company’s online backup offering.

The new version, Mozy 1.5, for Mac OS X is part of ongoing improvements to this popular web backup solution and comes during a time of great expansion for EMC Company as it announces a raft of partnerships with organizations ranging from Chinese internet service providers to mobile phone giants.

Mozy 1.5 for Mac has better memory usage which reduces the resources it requires allowing both the software and your Apple Mac to run that little bit faster (not that many of us complain about the speed of our awesome Macs!).  The menu options bar has been simplified and the overall stability and performance of the software has been improved.

Users can choose to download the update immediately or just allow their existing Mozy software to update itself which usually happens within a few days.

Competitors such as Carbonite, Backblaze and SugarSync are also improving their online backup offerings but the pace or Mozy’s expansion keeps them up there as a big contender in this evolving market.

Technorati Tags: Backblaze, Carbonite, Mozy, Online Backup, sugarsync, Web Backup

There are some differences through and, here, we look at the three systems and provide a comparison for the home and small business user.

All three are now available for both PC and Mac OS X and offer small applications which are downloadable directly from their websites. Installation is easy with just a few clicks.

The selection of which data gets the web backup treatment is where the first differences really start to show. Both Mozy and Carbonite allow you to choose which data to back up making your online store customizable and reduces the size of the upload. However, neither application allows you to back up applications or system files. BackBlaze peforms a complete backup similar to that completed by Time Machine on the Mac. Backblaze has a 4GB limit on any single file uploaded – limits for the others are to be confirmed.

Security is a hot topic and all three secure your data by encrypting it on your computer before sending it to the online backup server – both the transfer and the eventual storage are subject to security protocols also.

One significant difference is the ability to include external USB hard drives in your web backup. Carbonite does not allow this at all where as BackBlaze can handle the backup easily. Mozy claims to offer these backups but there are reports that it is only successful if the drive is permanently connected which is not great for laptop users.

The real test of your web backup is the ability to get your file back if you lose them. All three offer a web interface for retrieving individual files and this can also be used to access a file remotely when away from home as well as to restore a lost file. Complete restores need to be completed by re-installing their application from the internet and entering your account details to get access to the online backup data.

Mozy offers a DVD option for retrieving your data for a small fee where as BackBlaze offers both DVD and USB Key options. Carbonite has neither option at present.

‘Versioning’ of data is something that software developers are more familiar with and refers to the process of retrieving a pervious version of a file (for example, the one you saved yesterday without today’s changes). BackBlaze allow you to retrieve a previous version of a file up to 4 weeks old.

The cost of each web backup service is similar, around $50 USD / £35 per year. Carbonite and BackBlaze have a 15 day free trial with unlimited data wihile Mozy have a 2GB limited trial account with no expiry.

Backblaze and Mozy both offer monthly payment options as well as a yearly payment for a discount. Carbonite is a yearly payment only.

If the small differences above don’t help you decide then taking a free trial is the best way to find a web backup software application that is right for you.

Carbonite – 15 Day Free Trial
BackBlaze – 15 Day Free Trial
Mozy – 2GB Free Trial Account

Technorati Tags: backup software review, data backup services, file backup software, internet data backup, off site data backup, online data backup service, online file backup, remote backup service, remote backup services, remote data backup, remote data backup software, web back up, Web Backup

The figures, according to Carbonite the web backup service, are pretty astounding.  They reckon that every year 43% of us lose an irreplaceable file and that’s not to mention the 10% or so of hard-disk crashes or the 97% of stolen laptops that never get recovered.  It all sounds pretty scary but hey, it always happens to someone else anyway.  Sadly, that someone else has been me, and on more than one occasion.

I used to consider myself pretty good with backups – I used to back my files up to CD or DVD but it was a bit of a pain, I never did it as often as I ought and I often misplaced the disks. Then I moved on to harddisk backup – that was a lot quicker and some external backup drives have a little button that kicks off the process for you.  There was a downside to this approach too – the hard drive was next to my laptop or, at best, in the same building.  This is all very well but it doesn’t protect against theft when both the original and the backup may get taken or a fire / flood where you might loose everything.

I’m not so worried about my emails, music or random documents but family photos and financial records are another thing. How would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and everything was gone?

Solutions were pretty limited but the answer seemed to lie with off-site, online or web backup but that was really the domain of business users and pretty expensive.

Things have changed, the market has seen an influx of new, low cost consumer web backup services available for both PC and Mac OS X.  Leading the field are Carbonite, Mozy and Backblaze with some competition from the less popular Symantec Norton Online Backup – it’s retail version of the newly acquired SwapDrive system geared for business use.

Carbonite, Mozy and Backblaze offer a web backup service for a low annual fee and unlimited backup space with Carbonite offering a free 15 day trial and both Mozy and Backblaze having monthly payment options.

Some users may be concerned about security of online backup services but each of these services encrypts your data locally on your machine before backing it up online to their storage servers and even the web backup provider cannot decrypt it without your password.

Restoring the files with both Mozy and Carbonite can be done via a web based interface without installing the software.  Carbonite even allows you to utilise this system to access your web backup to get hold of files whilst you are away from home which is pretty handy.  Mozy and Backblaze each have a “DVD by Post” option for a fee.

In short, online web backup is here and available at a pretty reasonable cost.  The Web Backup Guide follows the coming of age of the online backup services with news and reviews of the products as well as guides, tips and tricks for getting your data backed up securely online.

Technorati Tags: Web Backup