Unbelievable!

My pal got his laptop stolen for the second time in 3 years!

In case you’ve ever wondered if these things actually happen…

He lives right in the heart of a major city and it was stolen at 10 a.m. on a weekday, in full-view of a major street.

Luckily for him, he decided to give up on local info storage and went totally to online backup after the first theft.

Now, when he bites the bullet and buys another laptop today, it will be super-easy to get back up and running again.

Btw, with his cloud interface, he never even missed a beat – all he had to do was connect over my computer and he was 100% back in business.

Moral to that story – online backup isn’t the answer to ALL your problems but for a stolen computer, using a service like Mozy or Livedrive can sure lower your blood pressure.

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Remote Online Backup is way safer than any local external drive alternative.  It is by far the easiest and cheapest solution for backing up or archiving your data.

But, most services can improve in at least 2 of these 3 key areas:

1. Mobility - Some providers already have iPhone and iPad apps. I use an iPhone app and it virtually doubles the handiness of online backup. You can see all the files you’ve backed up on your phone.  That’s REAL mobility.

Like everything, there is a trade-off here – the more accessible, the more hackable, but I consider the trade-off a net positive – as long as the online backup service we’re talking about is one of the major players, like Carbonite or IDrive.

2. Monthly Prices - This is a trend I am seeing every month, as more services get traction and are becoming mainstream and commoditized.

Also, I like the flexibility of paying by the month, versus a year in advance. Mozy and IDrive do this now and I believe more and more will be forced into offering this as an option.

3. Stronger Customer Service - This has got to get better.  This is a weakness with almost all online backup services now.

Offering a domestically-based call center available for questions to customers will be a game changer for whichever company wises-up and puts it in place first.

I am impatient by nature, so I expect online backup services to step to the plate and get this all done yesterday.  With their meteorically increasing popularity though, innovations are only happening as fast as the most aggressive companies challenge the market with new add-ons.

How much does it cost?

Their basic package is $50/year for 200GB. That is a huge amount of storage.

Since it is pointless to backup programs, (you have to restore from a software company disc), 200 GB is more than enough for most of us.

SafeCopy’s plan is one fee for the whole year.

Also, SC offers 3 GB free as a way to get your feet wet.

Data Encryption?

448 bit – nothing unique here – all online backup companies are doing approximately the same encrypting and protecting your data enroute to their server and a different protocol for storage.

How are they different than the others out there and is it a better value for your money than other similar services?

2 great differentiators separate SafeCopy from the other online backup companies:

1. The SafeCopy system makes it very easy to share files. Competitors don’t do that in this price range.

2. Also, one SafeCopy price covers all your computers. Competitors charge a separate license fee for each one.

Ease of use?

It is very easy to get started. The initial download of the agent software was straightforward and flawless. No hassles.

Super simple to restore files, too. Large icons direct you easily where you need to go to get things done.

Summary:

Highly recommended.

SafeCopy is an excellent company with terrific customer service, also. 200 GB is way more data than you will likely ever need to backup.

2. woo-hoo! AT&T U-verse arrives in Decatur, AL…

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-u-verse-arrives-in-decatur-106295463.html

3. Mozy sponsors a baby picture contest…
http://mozy.ie/news/releases

4. BackupAgent says, pay as you go…that’s pretty nice now…
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/102810_BackupAgent_Says_On_Demand_Online_Backup_Service_Reduces_Churn_Increases_ARPU

5. Creat your OWN cloud for backup, with Unilium/Amazon…
http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/28/windows/create-cloud-storage-local-drive-amazon-s3-unilium.html

How is online backup software like a mirror?

1. Data backup software only reflects what you have in your system today – if you happen to delete a file the software assumes you don’t want to keep even previous versions you’ve saved.

2. Most data backup software will only store your information for 30 days after you stop paying your bill, so it can disappear quickly.

3. Also, most software doesn’t copy everything on your hard drive like most of us thinks it does – so, with files larger than 2 GB for example, they won’t get copied unless you alert the backup company to copy it specifically.

So, it is best to think of it like a mirror – a reflection only of most of the information you have on your hard drive that can vanish quickly.

Take away – check to make sure that your service is backing up what you think it is!

I suggest skimming this article fast and jumping to the bottom to find the punchline.

Quick Overview…

Mozy and Carbonite both offer online backup software to businesses and individuals.

Below, I summarize the few real differences in these products for you, so you don’t have to waste your time reading through all their cryptic sales literature.

Mozy and Carbonite have been around since 2005 and are definitely the largest in the business, having captured a majority of the online storage market.

For a business, the Pro versions of Mozy and Carbonite cost a lot more than their respective home versions (more than double), but you get a few more features.

With 20 GB of data storage for example, both cost about $10 per month for the Pro version – that is about twice the $4.95 per month they charge for their “Home” version.

Here’s how Mozy Pro and Carbonite Pro are alike:

1. Web Access – see your files any internet-connected computer

2. Encrypt your data from start to finish, so it can’t be intercepted and read by others

3. Deduplication – they don’t waste your money saving redundant copies even though there might be duplicates on your computer

4. Versioning – both save the last previous version of files you’ve modified for 30 days

Here’s how they are different:

1. Price – Mozy = $.50/GB for Mozy, with a $3.95 licensing fee per computer
Carbonite = “block pricing”, for example, 20-49 GB -s $25 with no additional licensing charges

This can be a HUGE difference if you happen to fall just inside one of Carbonite’s blocks. It could cost double what Mozy would cost you – for example, if you have 2 computers and have 21 GB, Mozy would charge $3.95/computer x 2 for the licensing plus $10.50 for the storage, or $18.40/month…Carbonite would charge 40% more at $25/month…at 4 computers, the prices are about the same)

In this example, Carbonite would be the cheaper option if you have 4 computers you are trying to protect.

Bottom line:
Estimate the amount of data in “My Documents” on each computer and consider the number of computers that you will want to be backed up.

Then, you can estimate your costs with either company.

2. Carbonite has a smartphone app – you can see your backed up on your iPhone…that’s kind of nifty

3. Mozy’s phone support is much better – more professional and less hurried

4. Mozy is owned by a Fortune 500 company (EMC). Carbonite is a private company based in Boston

These companies know they are the 2 big dogs on the block, so they roughly mirror each others product.

There are other small differences that are largely inconsequential.

Which one should you buy?

* No strong differentiators exist. We are therefore left to split hairs over which of these services offers incremental value.

* As far as the software itself goes, Mozy Pro and Carbonite Pro are close to being twins.

* If you have more than 3 computers to backup, Carbonite will likely be cheaper.

* However, if customer service frustration is a sore spot with you, I would choose Mozy Pro.

With the online transactions that we all make these days, it is important to exercise caution to avoid malicious use of our personal information when interacting with businesses and individuals over the internet.

Here are 5 simple things you can do to keep online fraud from happening to you…

1. Don’t open emails from people you don’t know

Emails are the way viruses enter your computer.

Phishing scams also come in via email. Phishing is where you are sent an email and directed to a fake site for a service you normally use, and then asked to update account information.

These typically come from foreign countries – India and Russia primarily these days and all enter via email.

So, trash the email if you don’t know who it came from.

2. Never, ever give out your password (even to a friend)

Never give out your passwords to anyone for any reason.

If you have given your password out, (even to someone you trust), then make sure you change it quickly.

The reason is, you don’t have control over the computer the password was entered from. There could be a keylogger on-board that would associate your password with your account information and a thief could gain entry into your financial records.

3. Get anti-virus software

Any anti-virus software you consider must be continuously updated to be of much good. Avast and AVG are excellent (and free). I have used Avast for years and couldn’t be more pleased.

The bad guys are 24/7/365 creating new ways of attacking your system, so your anti-virus package must be updated to reflect the most current viruses out there.

4. When posting comments, don’t use your full name

If you use your full name, it can be traced back to your account information.

Also, don’t post your picture anywhere – it can be used in a fake ID.

5. Use Online Data Backup

Use an online backup storage company like Mozy, Carbonite, or Livedrive to back up your data. That way, if someone does break in and ties up your system, it will be much easier to get back up and running again.

In closing, use the same amount of care you would with any other financial transaction and you will be safe online.

Take the time to backup your data online and then take the time to create great passwords that only you will know. (a bulletproof password is one that is longer than 8 characters, made up of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and even a symbol at the end for good measure)

Change those passwords every few months and make sure that you get a good anti-virus package that is updated minute-by-minute. By doing taking these steps, you will be eliminating the major entry points for fraud.

Because these services default to automatic backup, by choosing to backup your data this way, you are eliminating a major area from your life.

Both are old-timers in the online backup industry – Mozy has been around since 2005 and Carbonite, since 2006.

How Mozy and Carbonite are alike:

In many respects, Mozy and Carbonite provide the same product:

* Both provided unlimited online backup for a fair price

* Both services guard your data fiercely guard your data and SSL encrypt everything before it leaves your computer

* Both offer services for both MAC and PC products

* Both require a small program resident on your computer to manage the upload and automatic backup updates (the programs just sit at the bottom of your screen letting you know that your system is being continually backed up)

* Both offer continuous and automatic backup

* If you ever need it, recovery on both services is simple and straightforward

How Mozy and Carbonite are different:

* MozyPro’s customer and technical support is available 24/7 – Carbonite’s phone support is during business hours, M-F, 9-5 eastern time

* If you want “priority” support from Carbonite you have to pay extra and even then it is still only available during business hours. This can be a real frustration – when you have a customer service issue in an are as critical as your data trusted to a faraway service, you generally want it dealt with immediately.

* Mozy has a monthly pay option, Carbonite does not

In summary, both Mozy and Carbonite are excellent and reliable services. Since you can’t choose when you have customer service or technical issues, the lack of 24/7 phone support by Carbonite is a real negative, however.

Because of the stronger customer service presence that Mozy has, we give them the edge.

Really, with the speed of software change that we demand these days, that’s the only efficient place to do computing going forward.

That means most of our data will be stored in the cloud by default whether we like it or not.

Obviously, at the far end of this spectrum, this is getting into Orwellian territory and a bit on the heavy-side when you think about the implications.

With all the histrionics the government goes through make us feel they are protecting us, our lives are becoming less and less private and more transparent.

We want to think our data is so safe and secure, with firewalls and the like, but how do we know? We sometimes learn that an employee at Google or similar is peeking in at someone’s data, but how about all the others who aren’t caught? If one guy is misbehaving with customer’s data, certainly others are, too.

With all the little bots traipsing around our data, how can we for sure tell if they aren’t already carrying away some of our data because we didn’t check a box somewhere telling them not to.

5 years ago, all of our software and files were stored on OUR local equipment. Now, more and more, the software and even our data are domiciled on someone else’s server.