Carbonite Online PC Backup

[Spencer]

If this is posted to the wrong group, please tell me on which group I should
post it. I looked at the groups with "application" in their name, and none
look right.

I want to start using some online backup for my PC which uses WindowsXP Pro.
I am looking into Carbonite Online PC Backup which can be downloaded from
carbonite.com.

Has anyone used it? How reliable is it? How secure is it?

This is a new area for me and any advice will be useful.

Thanks,

Spencer
Please reply only to group.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

If this is posted to the wrong group, please tell me on which group
I should post it. I looked at the groups with "application" in
their name, and none look right.

I want to start using some online backup for my PC which uses
WindowsXP Pro. I am looking into Carbonite Online PC Backup which
can be downloaded from carbonite.com.

Has anyone used it? How reliable is it? How secure is it?

This is a new area for me and any advice will be useful.

I do not know the service personally - but I cannot fathom putting my
files - no matter what they are - on somone elses equipment when I have no
physical access to any of it or at least physical access and meet-n-greet to
those who run it (ie: business situation - company computers, etc.)

It seems to me the money for such a service would be better spent on a small
(3.5" perhaps) USB hard disk drive - so it is fairly portable and it is
*yours*. You could even go larger with a regular external firewire/usb
drive. Or - depending on the amount of data - even the 1,2,4,8GB "thumb"
USB drives would give me more of a secure feeling than putting my stuff on
someones elses servers whom I have not met, never would likely meet and I
pay them for the 'priviledge' of allowing them access to my files.

Web pages I design for public view - that's different. Files I write up for
business/personal use... I just cannot see doing it.

 

[R. McCarty]

I have business customers who use "Online" Backup. Actually, it's
not something I've ever considered for Home Users. At the $5
monthly rate you could purchase your own Imaging program and
burn to CD or DVD-R disks. Having images/backups stored off
site is preferable (House fire.. Theft). The only downside is the
Asynchronous data speeds with Broadband - Sending is significantly
slower than the download speeds. Not sure this service provides
disaster recovery (Full system Restoration).

Security is always questionable - Usually these backup services
contract with larger facilities where systems are underground and
in "High Reliability/Redundancy" setups.

I would question their claim of little if any noticeable performance
loss. For continuous/incremental backup protection the "Live" client
will always be running and updating to the server.

Maybe doing the "Trial" run might give you an idea how well it works
and if it will meet your needs. I wouldn't sign up for any long-term
commitment without trying it first.

 

[John Keiser]

Mozy [www.Mozy.com] is free and configures easily. Very slow the first time
[overnight for 600 megs] and then quick for incrementals. I don't rely on
this exclusively and don't use it for sensitive files. It may have a place
in your overall strategy.

 

[lord_bryan]

It took me the best part of one week to upload all my stuff. I shall
not be paying as it needs prompting to back up; it did not back up
files that I would have liked; I can find no way of telling it to back
up F:drives i.e. memory sticks; files that it said were backed up could
not be restored.

VERY dubious in my opinion.

Brian

 

[Bob I]

An interesting thing about "online backup" is, that way the hacker only
has to look through stuff you consider important!