Backing up to the "Cloud" with Backblaze (initial thoughts)

I’m meticulous about data back-ups, but up until this point all my data has been backed up locally to external drives and DVDs. After hearing a few scary tales of data loss from a few of my art buddies, I decided to get much more serious about my back-up strategy. The only hole in my back-up plan was the most obvious one. What if my studio gets destroyed? I could potentially lose everything. What I needed was a reliable off-site data back-up system.

My initial research a few months back led me to Carbonite and Mozy. Both companies specialize in backing up data to the “cloud”. I’ve heard mixed reviews about both companies, particularly in the areas of customer service and data recovery. So I held off committing to off-site back-ups.

My criterion for selecting an off-site back-up service was four-fold:

1. Ridiculously easy to use: I don’t want to run through hoops.
2. Reliable: back-ups should be smooth and consistent.
3. Data Encryption: I want to protect my data from prying eyes.
4. Longevity: I want a company that’s going to be around for the long haul.

Recently, I came across a new player in the field: Backblaze, which entered the market in 2008. Their pricing was competitive ($5/month for unlimited storage), but more importantly, I’d been hearing great things about their customer service. Like Mozy and Carbonite, they offer back-up solutions for both Mac and PC platforms. I scoured the articles and reviews looking for potential complaints or issues with their service. I even asked folks on Twitter. All signs pointed to positive experiences.

Buoyed by all the positive things I read, I made the decision to go with Backblaze. They seem to have a very passionate and loyal following among techies. Their data center has biometric security, and is on a 24″ raised floor with seismic pedestals. (A veritable Fort Knox.)

With Backblaze, you can retrieve your data via the web for free. You can also optionally choose to have your data burned to DVD ($99) or even a USB hard drive ($189), should you witness data catastrophe. It’s nice to have options.

As far as the program itself: the process of setting up Backblaze was incredibly simple.

1. Download the Backblaze client software
2. Enter an e-mail address
3. Sit back and relax

The Backblaze Mac client software comes in the form of a preferencePane.

After the software has been installed, your data is analyzed. You can choose your billing cycle. You can choose month-to-month for $5/month, or save $10 by going with their 1 year plan, which is what I opted for.

Backing up to the cloud is not an instantaneous endeavor, regardless of which data backup service you choose. Typically, your back-ups happen “behind the scenes”. With Backblaze, you can throttle how much or how little bandwidth you want to devote to your data back-ups. I typically have mine set to the middle during the day. At night, I adjust the settings to give Backblaze full speed.

My first back-up, which consists of 115 GB, will take 41 days, according to Backblaze’s calculation. Incremental back-ups, according to Backblaze’s website, will be fast.

You can also have Backblaze back-up additional drives connected to your machine. You can also choose which files / folders you wish to exclude from back-ups. Setting this option was simple. Backblaze’s Mac client is very intuitive and easy to use.

Backblaze also gives you the option to make a private encryption key, insuring that you, and only you, have access to your own data.

Backblaze also offers you a nice breakdown of all the file types you are backing up.

My initial back-up is far from over. I have yet to test out Backblaze’s restore feature. How is this service? It’s too early to tell, but my initial experience (so far) has been a very positive one.

I’ll keep everyone posted on how Backblaze fares.

-Krishna