If you could back up your computer continuously with no hassle, without ever having to think about it, and for less money per month than two Starbucks lattes, would you do it?

I would. And do. And I’m now using Backblaze to make it happen.

Backblaze is newer to the online backup market than two of the other highly respected options I’ve covered in the past, Carbonite and Mozy. All three services offer secure, automatic, off-site backup and have straightforward interfaces. All three are available for both PC and Mac.

I switched to Backblaze because I find its interface simple and elegant even while its backup functionality is powerful. I particularly like that it:

• It runs in the background, continuously. It notices when you update a file, then goes to work to back up that file immediately. No need to schedule a specific backup time.
• It’s not a bandwidth hog. Backblaze tracks usage and ratchets back its demand on bandwidth when a user’s on the ‘net.
• It backs up everything unless you tell it not to. Most online backup programs required you to identify which files and folders to backup, leaving the possibility of missing important system and other files.

Backblaze is $5 per month and the interface is so simple you can be up and running in 5 minutes – really. And in the interest of full disclosure, I like Backblaze so much I’ve become an affiliate.

For additional reviews of Backblaze, try these:

• Backblaze: Possibly world’s easiest online backup
• Backblaze offers hassle-free unlimited online backup
• Backblaze: online backup with time machine’s finesse

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MakingMediationYourDayJob.com.

Last summer I wrote two posts about the importance of backing up and a few ways to make it a simpler part of managing your ADR practice: Backing Up: Protect Your Business Data and Carbonite Makes Backups So Very Easy. It’s time for an update.

I continue to prefer online backup programs because they protect your files from fire, flood and other disasters that could destroy backups you’ve got sitting in your office. Good online backup services work in the background automatically, know when you’re working online so they don’t steal bandwidth, and are easy to set up once so that you don’t have to remember to back up. Here are two worth considering:

I’m a fan of Carbonite, which worked seamlessly and as promised on my PC. It encrypts your files and stores them on its protected servers so that you always have an off-site copy of your files available anytime and from any PC. It works in the background so that once you set it up initially, it automatically backs up your files whenever you’re online and have updates. Carbonite offers a free 15-day trial and a 12-month subscription for $49.95 US.

When I bought my Mac, Carbonite didn’t offer a service for Macs…and still doesn’t, though a note on their site says they hope to have a Mac version out in October 2007. You can sign up to be notified when it’s out.

So, I switched to Mozy, which has both a PC version and a beta Mac version. It works in essentially the same way as Carbonite. I’ve now been using the Mac beta Mozy for about 6 months and it’s been as terrific as Carbonite was. Mozy is free for up to 2GB of data (that’s probably plenty unless you’re backing up lots of music or graphics files) and $4.95 US per month for an unlimited number of files.

For either of Carbonite or Mozy you’ll want a broadband connection like DSL or cable; don’t even consider using them if you’re still on dial-up. Anticipate that the first backup can take a couple of days, depending how many files you’re backing up. I just left my computer on and let the work be done as I slept. After the initial backup, only incremental backups are needed as you add new files or edit existing ones.

Are you backing up regularly…at least once a week? If not, I beg you to start. Picture me on my knees, staring up at you, hands clasped.

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MakingMediationYourDayJob.com.

A few months ago I wrote Backing Up: Protect Your Business Data. There’s a new kid on the block and this new kid’s pretty terrrific. So it’s time for an update.

Just last week I learned about Massachusetts-based Carbonite and decided to take it for a spin. Carbonite is an online backup service. It encrypts your files and stores them on its protected servers so that you always have an off-site copy of your files available anytime and from any PC. All of this is pretty typical, but there are a few features that make Carbonite different and better than all of the other backup services I’ve used: [Read more...]

Backing up your computer hard drive may be a little like flossing your teeth: You know you should do it frequently yet don’t always do so. If you’re not backing up your computer at least once weekly, and ideally several times a week, you’re risking just the kind of painful, time-consuming and expensive headache that a bad tooth can give you.

The key is to have a backup process that’s easy to carry out, easy to remember, and effective in the event of a sudden hard drive failure, computer theft or other data catastrophe. Rather than repeat good advice that’s readily available elsewhere on the web, let me direct you to a good article on backup process options (scroll past the ads to see the beginning of the actual article) and one on the types of data to include in your backup.

I’ve been using IBackup for quite a while now and have found it easy and efficient (this endorsement, by the way, doesn’t benefit me in any way). IBackup is an online backup service, so my data is encrypted and stored remotely for a small monthly fee. I’ve found their software intuitive to set up and I schedule my backups to run automatically at times I’m not using my computer (usually late at night). Once I’ve set it up, the only thing I need to remember is to leave my computer on so that the backup runs as scheduled. I should mention that I have a broadband (DSL) Internet connection, which makes online backup a more feasible option.

I’ve also recently tested out Mozy, a new free online backup service that’s still in beta. They describe themselves this way: “Mozy is a secure, automatic remote backup service for any PC in any home or office. It’s simple to install and configure. No external hard drive, expensive subscription services, CD’s or DVD’s to burn. All you need is a broadband connection and you are ready to go!” I have to agree…the user interface is really straightforward and I was up and running in just a few minutes. I did find the backups slower than with my IBackup account, though not so slow I wouldn’t consider using Mozy for all my backup needs.

Keep in mind that if you choose to use a fee-for-service or free online backup service like one of the above, the first backup will likely take many hours, even with a broadband connection. That’s because all the files you have selected need to be backed up; after that, only files you change are backed up.

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MakingMediationYourDayJob.com.