I wish I could quit you, Mozy
February 1, 2011 12:45 PM Subscribe
I've been a faithful Mozy backups user for 3.5 years, but they changed their pricing structure such that it is no longer unlimited. Looking for new remote backup services.
I'm paid up through September, but with the new pricing it is going to cost $220/yr to keep my data on their servers versus the $55/yr I was paying. (I have about 275 GB backed up at the moment.)
Most of my data is hi-res photos. I've looked into Carbonite, and their pricing is the same as what I'm currently paying Mozy ($55/yr), but I'm worried they will follow suit and change up their prices. Also considering a RAID array (I just have an external HD + Mozy at the moment) but I'd also like an offsite backup strategy.
I use Mozy like my Time Machine backup - it isn't really somewhere I go to access files regularly. How do you deal with offsite backups? Should I consider a "cloud" like Jungle Disk, or is that just too expensive for long term photo storage?
I'm paid up through September, but with the new pricing it is going to cost $220/yr to keep my data on their servers versus the $55/yr I was paying. (I have about 275 GB backed up at the moment.)
Most of my data is hi-res photos. I've looked into Carbonite, and their pricing is the same as what I'm currently paying Mozy ($55/yr), but I'm worried they will follow suit and change up their prices. Also considering a RAID array (I just have an external HD + Mozy at the moment) but I'd also like an offsite backup strategy.
I use Mozy like my Time Machine backup - it isn't really somewhere I go to access files regularly. How do you deal with offsite backups? Should I consider a "cloud" like Jungle Disk, or is that just too expensive for long term photo storage?
Best answer: The free option that requires a tiny bit of work: I have two external USB disks that I use for backups. One is attached to my computer at home, the other sits on my desk at work. Every couple of weeks I swap.
posted by phliar at 12:53 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by phliar at 12:53 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
nthing CrashPlan.
A recent change in their pricing structure actually resulted in me getting money back. They are also a cut above the others (including Carbonite) since they not only allow unlimited backup but also keep deleted files forever (if you want it that way). Can't tell you how many times this has saved my hide.
You can also set it to version (mine does every 15 minutes).
Jungle Disk + AWS will quickly get uneconomical (for large digital media) since you pay by amount stored. See how much you have, how much you expect it to grow and figure it out.
Example: I currently have 150 gigs on Crashplan. At .15 cents/gb that would be 22.50 a month. My crashplan works out to $3-4/month.
posted by special-k at 1:10 PM on February 1, 2011
A recent change in their pricing structure actually resulted in me getting money back. They are also a cut above the others (including Carbonite) since they not only allow unlimited backup but also keep deleted files forever (if you want it that way). Can't tell you how many times this has saved my hide.
You can also set it to version (mine does every 15 minutes).
Jungle Disk + AWS will quickly get uneconomical (for large digital media) since you pay by amount stored. See how much you have, how much you expect it to grow and figure it out.
Example: I currently have 150 gigs on Crashplan. At .15 cents/gb that would be 22.50 a month. My crashplan works out to $3-4/month.
posted by special-k at 1:10 PM on February 1, 2011
Best answer: Somewhat of a different idea if you don't need really frequent backups. Blu-Ray discs and writers are pretty cheap these days, and they seem especially suited for hi-res image backups and easy to store off-site. Single layer discs hold 25GB each and dual-layer ones hold 50GB each.
Example: A blu-ray writer costs $100 (internal) or $170 (external USB). A 30-pack BD-R blank spindle costs $31, and will hold 25GB x 30 = 750 GB. You can store burnt discs in a bank vault (usually pretty cheap at credit unions) or at a friend/relative's house for off-site storage.
posted by thewildgreen at 1:17 PM on February 1, 2011
Example: A blu-ray writer costs $100 (internal) or $170 (external USB). A 30-pack BD-R blank spindle costs $31, and will hold 25GB x 30 = 750 GB. You can store burnt discs in a bank vault (usually pretty cheap at credit unions) or at a friend/relative's house for off-site storage.
posted by thewildgreen at 1:17 PM on February 1, 2011
I, too, recently signed up with CrashPlan and it's great. I got in on a deal around Thanksgiving where I got 3 years of unlimited backup for $99. I don't think that's still the going rate, but with the 15% discount for Mozy switchers, you can certainly do a lot better than $220/yr. Took me about a month to fully upload my ~80 GB of content, but the software is great and lets you schedule throttling if necessary, so it doesn't cripple your connection.
What makes it totally worthwhile to me, though, is that direct peer-to-peer backups using CrashPlan are easy and free. I installed CrashPlan on my parents' computer and it backs up daily to my computer for free (they only have about 5 GB worth of stuff). No configuration necessary. All I had to do was type in a secret code from my computer into their computer and CrashPlan automatically figures out how to connect the two computers, so I didn't have to open any ports or set up dynamic DNS.
So, long story short, I've been very happy with CrashPlan so far.
posted by Nothlit at 1:20 PM on February 1, 2011
What makes it totally worthwhile to me, though, is that direct peer-to-peer backups using CrashPlan are easy and free. I installed CrashPlan on my parents' computer and it backs up daily to my computer for free (they only have about 5 GB worth of stuff). No configuration necessary. All I had to do was type in a secret code from my computer into their computer and CrashPlan automatically figures out how to connect the two computers, so I didn't have to open any ports or set up dynamic DNS.
So, long story short, I've been very happy with CrashPlan so far.
posted by Nothlit at 1:20 PM on February 1, 2011
I have about 250 GB on Backblaze ($5/month for unlimited storage).
posted by The Mouthchew at 1:24 PM on February 1, 2011
posted by The Mouthchew at 1:24 PM on February 1, 2011
From a different perspective, why not try smugmug? The paid version offers a lot of storage space, printing options as well as sending a backup copy using DVDs just in case you want them.
posted by theobserver at 1:26 PM on February 1, 2011
posted by theobserver at 1:26 PM on February 1, 2011
Crashplan works for me.
Mozy started blowing about 8 months ago, and I quit soon after.
posted by lalochezia at 1:33 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Mozy started blowing about 8 months ago, and I quit soon after.
posted by lalochezia at 1:33 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Crashplan for me, too. I've tried all of the others mentioned above and disliked them all for various reasons.
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:02 PM on February 1, 2011
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:02 PM on February 1, 2011
I've used Crashplan, Backblaze, Mozy, JungleDisk, and Carbonite. These are all "cloud" backups.
I am currently using Backblaze for my personal stuff. I like that they are really smart about their datacenter and technology.
I use JungleDisk for work. It's great b/c it gives you a shared drive as well (like dropbox, but it doesn't have to be mirrored if you don't want. the files there can live only there).
And then I also have some USB hard drives that I back up to locally.
posted by reddot at 2:24 PM on February 1, 2011
I am currently using Backblaze for my personal stuff. I like that they are really smart about their datacenter and technology.
I use JungleDisk for work. It's great b/c it gives you a shared drive as well (like dropbox, but it doesn't have to be mirrored if you don't want. the files there can live only there).
And then I also have some USB hard drives that I back up to locally.
posted by reddot at 2:24 PM on February 1, 2011
I'm in the same boat. Mozy started blowing for me a few months ago and this is the last straw. I understand that prices go up on some things, but will not pay more for a drop in quality. Backups have been failing a lot lately.
I'm going to throw my lot with Backblaze for my Mac and see how it goes.
posted by mds35 at 3:35 PM on February 1, 2011
I'm going to throw my lot with Backblaze for my Mac and see how it goes.
posted by mds35 at 3:35 PM on February 1, 2011
Also considering a RAID array ...
sararah, a RAID array isn't a backup solution. It's HD crash insurance, and little more. It won't recover accidentally deleted or corrupted files. Any changes made by you to your files (due to misdropped files, overwriting file names, deleting the wrong filename, etc...) are faithfully reproduced in all drives. Are you aware of this?
Back on topic: I also use Mozy, and will leave them when my 2-year subscription is up. Regardless of what I want to do, including changing the tiniest setting, it takes between 10-40 minutes for Mozy's software to respond to my requests. Tech support invariably tells me this is because I have a lot of files - over 1500 - backed up. WTF does that have to do with program settings?
I moved to Mozy after BackBlaze ignored my requests for tech support for three business days during a crash. That is completely unacceptable.
Not sure where I'm moving, but this thread is helpful; thanks.
posted by IAmBroom at 3:38 PM on February 1, 2011
sararah, a RAID array isn't a backup solution. It's HD crash insurance, and little more. It won't recover accidentally deleted or corrupted files. Any changes made by you to your files (due to misdropped files, overwriting file names, deleting the wrong filename, etc...) are faithfully reproduced in all drives. Are you aware of this?
Back on topic: I also use Mozy, and will leave them when my 2-year subscription is up. Regardless of what I want to do, including changing the tiniest setting, it takes between 10-40 minutes for Mozy's software to respond to my requests. Tech support invariably tells me this is because I have a lot of files - over 1500 - backed up. WTF does that have to do with program settings?
I moved to Mozy after BackBlaze ignored my requests for tech support for three business days during a crash. That is completely unacceptable.
Not sure where I'm moving, but this thread is helpful; thanks.
posted by IAmBroom at 3:38 PM on February 1, 2011
I'm a Mozy user, and have been reasonably happy until now. I heard about the price change and figured it wouldn't be too bad for me .... and then did the math. Ick.
Crashplan looks good.
posted by feckless at 4:37 PM on February 1, 2011
Crashplan looks good.
posted by feckless at 4:37 PM on February 1, 2011
Nthing Crashplan. It took a while to upload all my data (mostly pictures) but I have no other complaints! Like IAmBroom, Mozy was also unbearably slow so I switched.
posted by elerina at 4:53 PM on February 1, 2011
posted by elerina at 4:53 PM on February 1, 2011
This is exactly the question I was going to ask tonight. My monthly payment to Mozy is set go up from $4.95 to $23.99(!). I'm definitely going to give Crashplan a look. Thanks, everyone!
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:10 PM on February 1, 2011
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 5:10 PM on February 1, 2011
Another reason to go for Crashplan is that it will do local backups too. So you can also back up all your files (or just the most important) to a spare hard drive. (Even terabyte hard drives are pretty cheap.) The added redundancy makes me happy.
(Mozy may have had this but I never figured it out. And after they dropped the ball on half of my 36 gigs of backup I've happily been using Crashplan.)
posted by Ookseer at 9:05 PM on February 1, 2011
(Mozy may have had this but I never figured it out. And after they dropped the ball on half of my 36 gigs of backup I've happily been using Crashplan.)
posted by Ookseer at 9:05 PM on February 1, 2011
Glad you asked this question, I got the email from Mozy too. I have a 2 year plan, not even finished the first year and thinking of switching due to the difficulties making connections and backing up sometimes.
rtha - I'm not seeing any notes on that link for Crashplan offering a discount for Mozy customers. Could you link to that please?
posted by arcticseal at 9:31 PM on February 1, 2011
rtha - I'm not seeing any notes on that link for Crashplan offering a discount for Mozy customers. Could you link to that please?
posted by arcticseal at 9:31 PM on February 1, 2011
Based on recommendations from y'all, I installed Crashplan tonight. Thus far, everything seems to be going swimmingly.
Funny story: Mozy automatic backups have never worked properly for me. I actually had to set up a reminder for myself, using Windows Scheduler, to manually start my Mozy backup every evening. I'd gotten used to it as just another aspect of Mozy's suckiness.
So this evening, right after I install Crashplan and it starts doing its first backup, guess what happens? Mozy suddenly wakes up and, for the first time ever, finally starts an automatic backup of its own!
The first item it backs up? The Crashplan installer file I had just downloaded a few minutes earlier.
Barn door, horse, etc. Sorry Mozy, I'm over you.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:14 PM on February 1, 2011
Funny story: Mozy automatic backups have never worked properly for me. I actually had to set up a reminder for myself, using Windows Scheduler, to manually start my Mozy backup every evening. I'd gotten used to it as just another aspect of Mozy's suckiness.
So this evening, right after I install Crashplan and it starts doing its first backup, guess what happens? Mozy suddenly wakes up and, for the first time ever, finally starts an automatic backup of its own!
The first item it backs up? The Crashplan installer file I had just downloaded a few minutes earlier.
Barn door, horse, etc. Sorry Mozy, I'm over you.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:14 PM on February 1, 2011
Best answer: arcticseal, try this URL for the Mozy switcher discount:
http://b5.crashplan.com/mozyonover
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:15 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
http://b5.crashplan.com/mozyonover
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:15 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]
Artifice_Eternity, thanks! Just signed up, it's already going smoother than Mozy ever did.
I signed up for the multiple plan so I can finally get Mrs arcticseal's computer backed up (nagging her doesn't seem to work). The discount meant I got the 4 year plan for less than the cost of the 3 year plan, and for about the same price as Mozy was wanting for 2 years. I owe you a beer should you find yourself in China.
Gotta love their sense of humour - mozyonover :)
posted by arcticseal at 11:23 PM on February 1, 2011
I signed up for the multiple plan so I can finally get Mrs arcticseal's computer backed up (nagging her doesn't seem to work). The discount meant I got the 4 year plan for less than the cost of the 3 year plan, and for about the same price as Mozy was wanting for 2 years. I owe you a beer should you find yourself in China.
Gotta love their sense of humour - mozyonover :)
posted by arcticseal at 11:23 PM on February 1, 2011
Took me about a month to fully upload my ~80 GB of content
CrashPlan also has a Seeded Backup service for $125 where they'll send you a hard drive that you send back to them with your data.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 AM on February 2, 2011
take a look at backblaze - I think they offer unlimited backup for $5/month or $50/year. They also offer to ship a hard drive with you data for around $200 in case you don't want to download it yourself.
I'm just sarted the 15 day trial with them so I can't comment on their service.
posted by neofite at 9:09 AM on February 2, 2011
I'm just sarted the 15 day trial with them so I can't comment on their service.
posted by neofite at 9:09 AM on February 2, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the help, everyone! Lots of great tips on a better local backup + better remote backups. I will probably switch to CrashPlan while I'm still paid up at Mozy, and then just let my account run out there.
posted by sararah at 2:55 PM on February 2, 2011
posted by sararah at 2:55 PM on February 2, 2011
I'm just sarted the 15 day trial with them so I can't comment on their service.
neofite: S...L...O...W.
posted by IAmBroom at 4:02 PM on February 2, 2011
neofite: S...L...O...W.
posted by IAmBroom at 4:02 PM on February 2, 2011
i just started crashplan yesterday. can keep you posted if you want.
posted by anya32 at 7:39 AM on February 3, 2011
posted by anya32 at 7:39 AM on February 3, 2011
I came across Trend Micro's SafeSync that is offering its unlimited backup service on sale for $30/yr (normally $60/yr). Just fyi -- I personally don't have any experience with this service.
posted by thewildgreen at 11:14 AM on February 3, 2011
posted by thewildgreen at 11:14 AM on February 3, 2011
And I find that Lifehacker has this post from yesterday: The Best, Most Affordable Alternatives to Mozy for Unlimited Backups
posted by thewildgreen at 11:48 AM on February 3, 2011
posted by thewildgreen at 11:48 AM on February 3, 2011
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posted by rtha at 12:50 PM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]