Additions:

Deletions:

---

Online Data Backup

I have been using Mozy.com online backups for some time now, and they are pretty good. Rated as about the best online backup service. 2 gigs free, $5 unlimited. Data encrypted on your computer, etc. Worth a look!

Awhile back I again ran out of the free 2 gig backup size and thought it might be time to pay Mozy.com for more space. So I did a bunch of research. I came up with a different solution with more features and flexibility and very low costs.

This solution is a combination of an online replicated data store, and a backup program that knows how to use this online data repository.

The data repository has been around for a few years (mature), and the costs go down over time. It is inexpensive, but not free, so folks won't overload it or game it, and if it is used more they have more $ to buy more disks, etc. The data is stored in more than one place, so if some sites go down it does not matter, the data is still available.

The backup program is also a few years old (stable), and is quite nice. It does more than backups, also allowing files to be shared between your computers. For example, I have set up a backup of my work computer that just backs up some directories on my work machine that have nonwork stuff in them, and others with python code I am writing for work. I also have a backup running from home to the data store, each is kept in a directory tree with the machine name at the root. When I am home I can get to the work machine backup and retrieve any files from it that I might want to do something with at home. And the reverse is true, I can get files at work that I am backing up from home if needed.

The data is all encrypted on your computer before it goes anywhere, and if you have something extra sensitive then encrypt it with some other tool before backing it up, so it will be double encrypted.

Another thing I really like is the online backup repository has a simple API for writing your own programs to access the store, and they provide example code and libraries for all your favorite programming languages. So some of the special backup software I write for myself can be adjusted to use the repository.

The repository is also capable of being used for sharing data and making really large email enclosures. You can store something in the repository and generate a URL that will access the data, and you can even limit the amount of time that URL will work. So you could upload a (non commercial) video and send email to your friend(s) with the URL, and delete it later after the URL has expired to save storage charges.

If your house burns, or your computer and backups are stolen, what is the value of your loss? Manual backup systems, where you copy something and store it somewhere are notoriously incomplete, and not considered backups at all by reviewers. A good backup must be offsite, and it must be automated, or it is likely inadequate.

How much does this all cost? This particular software is $20, one time, free updates. Pretty reasonable. There are other programs that will work with this repository, and some are free.

The real cost here should be the storage of the data. The fortune 500 company that runs this service uses it for internal stuff, so it has to be robust and low in cost. It keeps growing in size, and due to their scale, the costs go down as time goes on. Their current rates are $0.15 per Gigabyte Month for storage, $0.10 per Gigabyte to upload, and $0.17 per Gigabyte to download. So a 2 Gigabyte backup would cost 0.20 to upload and 0.30 per month to store. 0.50 the first month, and likely less after that, depending on data turnover and how long you set the backup program to keep old changed/deleted files.

The program is JungleDisk and the Online Data Storage Service is Amazon S3. More Info:


Comments?

-- AlanB