When’s the last time you backed up important files on your computer?
Did someone say, “Yeah, right.” Thought so.
It’s not something that tops my list of fun things to do. Burning CDs or hooking up external drives that never seem to hold enough data. Plus it’s so easy to forget to do it in the first place! That’s why I’m tickled to finally find something that makes it painless. So painless in fact, I don’t even have to remember to do it!
Mozy Backup is a product of Berkeley Data Systems. Since 2005 they’ve done a dandy job of making complex software easy to use. Mozy Backup is no exception.
Basically Mozy is a software application that securely makes copies of your important files and transfers them to Berkeley’s servers. If tragedy strikes, you retrieve the copy and restore it to your system. In about 10 minutes you can download, install and start backing up your system. The out-of-the-box settings are best for most people, so you really can fire it up and walk away. They offer versions for Windows or Mac and you can even use it for free (if you can live with a limit of 2 gig).
I’ve used it on our computers at home now for about two years and have no complaints. But getting files on a backup is only half the battle. Happily, the one time I needed to restore a file (usually my least favorite part of any backup plan) it was just as slick.
For the more serious technogeeks they also offer a MozyPro edition that’s perfect for networks. Small or large. I use it at work to back up our file server and find it much easier to use than tape drives or funky backup software. Plus I like the idea of having the backup data stored off-site just in case of serious catastrophes.
It’s good stuff.
