Safe Computing

If you're like me, backing up your computer is one of those things that you keep putting off. It's a hassle, it can be time consuming, and it's really not something that is top of mind. But it should be.

Last year, the hard drive on my six month old HP laptop crashed (yes, six months old ... it will be my last HP computer, but that's another story). There was that terrible feeling that I had lost important documents and financial data that I truly needed. Fortunately, I had subscribed to Moxy's online backup system, and was able to retrieve information that otherwise would have been lost. And relatively quickly, I accessed the data and downloaded it to an auxiliary computer.

Mozy is an excellent program, particularly at $55 per year for unlimited off-site data storage. However, it is not such a bargain when that annual fee jumps to nearly $120 for unlimited storage, and that is exactly what Moxy did last week. It boosted it basic fees and no longer provides unlimited back-ups for one set price. The sudden rate hike sent me searching for another way to keep my data safe and keep my wallet from bleeding.

After receiving the notification from Mozy that my fees would be increasing in just two days, I backed up my computer onto an external hard drive that I have then cancelled my Mozy subscription. I then started looking for a new off site back-up provider.

Reading reviews, I decided to try CrashPlan. Nearly everyone said it was a solid program, reliable, user friendly, and inexpensive. Plus, they were offering a discount to former Mozy users who were migrating to a lower cost alternative. It started off great, but CrashPlan soon became a disappointment. Constantly, their site would dump me. I would have to reset the upload only to have it disconnect again within 10 or 15 minutes. And when it was actually backing up my data, it was so painfully slow that it it would have taken more than a month to backup everything. When I contacted customer service, they were quick to respond with suggestions, but nothing worked. I eventually cancelled, and received a refund.

Now, I'm trying Carbonite. Though the reviews for Carnbonite were not altogether positive (funky user interface and inability to back up all material without jumping through some electronic hoops), it is a company that advertises on Howard Stern, who regular readers know I listen to daily. The price is the same as Mozy before Mozy's rates skyrocketed. Plus, you get a two week trial period before you pay anything just to see how it works. And, with the promotion code "Howard100" you get two months free. My initial take on it is positive. The user interface isn't that complicated (in fact, it's rather basic), they do explain what to do to add more files to their basic backup, and since I installed it and began running the program a few hours ago, it is moving right along rapidly. In fact, it seems to back up files faster than Mozy did even with my relatively slow "high speed" connection through the local Mexican Internet provider (Telmex: 2mbs download, .2mbs upload). Unless something crashes or changes, I'll likely fork over the $55 annual fee to Carbonite after the trial period ends in a couple of weeks.

In the end, it doesn't matter really who you go with or what you do to protect your data (though I find the thought of backing up on DVD's or CD's a bit antiquated). Just do it ... to avoid the inevitable time when 1) someone steals your lap top, 2) your hard drive crashes, or 3) you are far away from your computer and you need to download important documents or files.