Guarantee your data is secure by backing it up remotely. We test six of the most popular services.
A NAS drive is ideal for sharing documents and media with all the PCs on your network, but for critical data it’s worth remembering that hard disks can fail. Once you factor in the possibility of theft and fire damage, it pays to back up your most vital data remotely. Using an online service is never going to be as fast or convenient as backing up to a local hard disk, so it’s best viewed as complementary to a NAS device.
Mozy
Mozy is the most basic here and offers 2GB of storage for absolutely nothing, and unlimited storage for a bargain US$5 per month. There are various presets to tick, depending on what you want to back up: various office file types, My Favorites, media collections or there’s a file-tree to create your own.
Scheduled backups can be set, but Mozy works best by monitoring modified files. However, it will only back them up differentially, when the system is idle. It uses 448-bit Blowfish encryption and you can use the Mozy key or enter your own as long as you keep it safe. Locked files can be backed up from NTFS-formatted disks, while older versions of files are kept for 30 days before they’re deleted, and backups can be restored onto any PC via the website.
But few things in life are free: the user interface is painfully basic, plus the fact that it doesn’t continuously back up files as they change makes Mozy less effective for vital work.
3/6
Carbonite
Carbonite, on the other hand, is well worth paying for. Taking the view that people are inherently lazy and don’t want to pick and choose files to back up, the US-based firm charges a flat annual rate of US$50 regardless of how much you back up. After initially choosing what to store, the user interface is barely needed, as the software integrates with Windows Explorer. Colour-coded dots on files keep you up to date with the backup progress, and all selected files are encrypted with a 1024-bit Blowfish key before transfer.
Backup is continuous rather than scheduled, and you can alter the Internet priority to prevent it disrupting your work. Modified files are sent after ten minutes of inactivity, but only generally once in a 24-hour period; however, you can manually force a constantly changing file to back up immediately if it’s vital. Your Carbonite virtual drive appears in My Computer, letting you browse and restore individual files with ease.
That ultra-low price is per PC, and your backup is locked to the PC it was taken from, so sharing files isn’t possible. But Carbonite is purely a backup service and, thanks to its set-up-and-forget convenience, it offers great value for home users.
6/6
Boomerang
Boomerang is the consumer arm of UK-based DATABarracks, and features a well-designed and flexible user interface. A wizard lets you select from organised lists of file types and helpfully integrates with Outlook. Backups can be scheduled or files backed up when the PC is idle for a few minutes.
When restoring, you can view thumbnails of your files, and unlimited differential file versions are stored in case you need to roll back. The account integration allows you to change your details or upgrade your plan without leaving the client software, and you can log in to the website and restore files using any PC.
Boomerang’s added control and flexibility makes it well worth paying the £24 ($60) over Mozy. It takes a different approach to Carbonite, but the fact that it can be used on an unlimited number of PCs widens its appeal. Bear in mind at the time of review it was in the final beta stages with a few significant bugs, so wait for the final release.
4/6
BullGuard Backup
Early 2007 launches are expected from McAfee and Symantec, but security expert BullGuard has got there first with its online backup module. Prices are tempting: just $50 for 2GB, plus you get an extra 1GB free for signing up, and each further gigabyte costs $25 up to a maximum of 5GB.
A wizard walks you through the process of selecting what to back up, including Outlook integration, and you can choose to save files daily, weekly or monthly. As it’s aimed at home users, there’s no continuous backup function, but each backup set can be given its own quick-start Desktop icon, and the resume function worked flawlessly throughout our tests.
BullGuard sends full differential files and keeps past versions, and your online drive can be accessed simply via Explorer. Alternatively, use the website to restore files onto any PC with an Internet connection. Your account details are accessible via the client software, as is the superb free 24/7 live chat support, which is a service no other home product comes anywhere near matching.
The flat rate per gigabyte means the value diminishes as you add more storage capacity, and the 5GB cap limits its appeal somewhat for power users. But the simple software – which integrates into any existing BullGuard security suite on your PC – and great prices at smaller sizes make BullGuard a good choice for home use.
5/6