On Off-Site Back-Ups with Backblaze

March 2010.

I create regular back-ups of my MacBook using Time Machine and an external USB disk in my office. It’s saved me a few times when I have accidentally deleted or damaged files. However, it’s still leaves a significant vulnerability: what happens if I lose my MacBook and my Time Machine disk simultaneous? For example, what happens if someone steals both my MacBook and my Time Machine disk from my office or if both are lost in a fire?

Furthermore, I have a fair fraction of a terabyte of raw data on a second external disk. How should I back-up that disk?

One obvious solution to both of these problems would be to buy two additions USB disks for home, one to perform Time Machine back-ups and the other to keep a copy of my raw data. That would cost several hundred dollars and imply some additional inconvenience (especially to back-up my raw data).

Another solution would be to use an off-site back-up service. I use Backblaze, who were among the first to offer unlimited back-ups of a single computer and all of its internal and external disks for around US$50 per year.

Backblaze not as convenient as Time Machine, for sure, but it’s transparent. It means I no longer have to worry about losing either my Time Machine disk or my data disk; if that happens, I can download my files over the network or have Backblaze send me my files on a DVD or a USB disk. Given that I am basically using them to insure against disk loss, I would probably be most interested in receiving my files on a new USB disk.

Notes

Backblaze only runs under Mac OS and Windows; there is no version for Linux.

Backblaze will back-up directly-connected disks but will not back-up network-attached disks (e.g., disks mounted by NFS, AFS, or SMB).

Other Providers

CrashPlan

CrashPlan offer unlimited off-site back up of a single computer to their storage facility for US$55 per year, but also offer a family plan for US$100 per year.

CrashPlan has clients for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. Their basic client is free for personal use, but their “CrashPlan+” client costs US$90 and gives continuous rather than daily back-ups, web download, and is free from advertisements.

Unusually, CrashPlan also allows you to back up to your own server. For example, you might be able to back up your computers at work to those at home and vice versa or you might be able to back up your computers to a friend’s computers and vice versa.

CrashPlan is recommended by Nathaniel Irons and John Gruber.

Mozy

Mozy also now offer unlimited off-site back up for US$55 per year.

Updates

Copyright © Alan Watson 2010