Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion

Help me choose an online backup service

<< < (21/27) > >>

mouser:
I stopped using CrashPlan because of the outrageous hogging memory issues, and I'm still pissed off about that, but I thought it only right that I post again and say that I just purchased a 1yr family plan subscription to CrashPlan, using the 50% discount offer described for past carbonite users described here (looks like it doesn't care what email you put in by the way).

The main reason I came back to crash plan is that for this price ($50 for first year, $120 normal yearly price) you can configure something like 10 pcs to have their files backed up online.  While the memory hogging is a serious problem for my primary pc, which i will have to go try to solve by messing with the java settings, this was simply too good an offer not to jump on for backing up the other spare pcs/laptops in my house, and offering the space for my immediate family.

Put another way, I'm not at all convinced that CrashPlan is the right solution for someone with a single PC with tons of files to backup, but if you have a bunch of PCs with a small number of files, it seems like an excellent deal and from what I read you are unlikely to run into the memory hogging issues if you have small backup file sets.

So CrashPlan seems ideal for putting on every computer in the family to make sure that it backs up working documents, etc.  For example I've been keeping the books for the building on a laptop which has no other purpose than to keep the books.. I'm not going to pay backblaze $60/year just to keep 5 files backed up online.  CrashPlan seems well suited for this.

(Though I will note that for such small file sets, I could get away with one of the free online backup services, or one of the low-volume backup services).

But anyway, although not perfect, I do think CrashPlan seems like a good solution for people with lots of PCs (or who can be responsible for setting up multiple PCs for their family members).  And at $50 for a year, seems hard to go wrong.


Someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.. (NO I AM NOT WRONG).

One VERY important note for people setting up backups of multiple family PCs:  *ALL* computers are forced to have the SAME encryption password and account access(!).  This means that anyone on any of these PCs could access the backed up files of any of the other PCs.

This feels like a major security risk to me, though I suppose it's useful in keeping people from sharing a family plan with non-family members.  But you should know that this fact may severely limit the usefulness of the family plan.

Very uncool.  :down:

dr_andus:
There are a ton more of these services (mozy, sugarsync, etc.) that i haven't looked into yet.

So.. anyone gone through the process of evaluating these services have any recommendations?
-mouser (February 15, 2012, 04:45 PM)
--- End quote ---

I haven't done much evaluating and comparing but I've used MozyHome for years (at one point backing up 3 PCs but now I'm down to 2, one ancient WinXP and a 2-yr old Win7) and it does everything on your list. But the costs will naturally go up if you keep adding PCs and data.

wraith808:
One VERY important note for people setting up backups of multiple family PCs:  *ALL* computers are forced to have the SAME encryption password and account access(!).  This means that anyone on any of these PCs could access the backed up files of any of the other PCs.

This feels like a major security risk to me, though I suppose it's useful in keeping people from sharing a family plan with non-family members.  But you should know that this fact may severely limit the usefulness of the family plan.
-mouser (October 20, 2012, 03:47 PM)
--- End quote ---

Are there any that don't share like that?  All of the ones that I've tried share if they're on the same account.

Jibz:
I think they all work like that .. I mentioned it in the review thread last year as well.

For a tech user it seems like an obvious security problem, but you have to remember that this is aimed at family members who probably have access to each others machines anyway. What I found more troublesome is the fact that CrashPlan in effect gives you access to files outside your own account on the machine it is running on (i.e. it seems like you can restore files that were backed up from the administrator account or some other users account on the machine). I guess it is the price you pay for having a convenient service that can back up all files instead of just your own.

40hz:
What my understanding and experience says: Online Backup storage, a sound and reliable option! Without any doubt the technology is far better than the normal storage services and it has a lot of benefits to make the most of it. I always prefer using dropbox and Just cloud because of their reliable and secure services and also provide excellent backup features. They sync and update files on real time and create easy backup that fulfill all your tasks with ease. ! So the bottom line is that cloud storage can provide heavy space of storage within a short span of time, and it could possibly make your life easier. But the question arises, which online backup provider to choose with respect to price and need? Now that is what we need to discuss. Although to yield my answer in advance i still prefer Just Cloud over others but you can go with other options according to your need. For more options please consider given blog post for your assistance.
-BrettDaren (October 25, 2012, 06:05 AM)
--- End quote ---

@Brett - Welcome to DC! When commenting or making recommendations in a forum, it's generally considered good etiquette the first time you post to state any business or other affiliations you may have if they're directly related to the topic under discussion.
:)

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page