Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal: Receive a Mozy Discount of 25% on Their Online Backup Services
November 24th, 2011 - Posted by polina
If you've been thinking about backing up your computer online, here's that extra push to start protecting your files now! For Black Friday weekend, Mozy online backup is offering 25% off the purchase price exclusively for NextAdvisor readers. This already affordable online backup service allows you to backup your external hard drives for free and only charges an extra $2 to backup an additional computer in your home.
Get this special Black Friday discount by entering the promo code: "SPENDLESS" between Friday, Nov. 25 and Monday, Nov. 28. Read the entire Mozy review and sign up here!
For more Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, keep checking our blog, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. We'll have great deals on web hosting, online backup, security software and more!
Which Online Backup Services are HIPAA Compliant?
November 1st, 2011 - Posted by polina
Q: Which online backup services are HIPAA compliant?
Source: BHM
A: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) not only protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families, but is also meant to address the security and privacy of health data. Because the electronic transfer of health data is much more efficient and effective, HIPAA requirements strive to create safe standards for these practices.
There are a handful of online backup services that are HIPAA compliant. Carbonite and Mozy, two of our highest-rated online backup services, both comply with HIPAA standards.
Another service that really stands out is IBackup. Though it isn't exactly at the top of our list, businesses, particularly those in the legal, health, or financial fields, will want to give IBackup serious consideration. IBackup's business-level services help businesses backup their MS SQL server databases and Exchange servers. Of course, they also boast support for HIPAA and a number of other compliance issues relating to business. The service, like various other online backup providers, also lets you set your own private encryption key, for all plans.
Always make sure that the online backup service you choose follows all of the regulations necessary to support your business, and always feel free to call their customer support!
Will Carbonite Backup a Flash Drive Connected to Your Computer?
October 19th, 2011 - Posted by polina
Q: Will Carbonite backup a flash drive that is connected to your computer?
Source: Creative Commons, Skadoit
A: Unfortunately, the current version of Carbonite only backs up files that reside on permanent hard drives in your computer. This means that you cannot backup external hard drives or flash drives. However, if you ever need to back up a file that is on your flash, simply move that file onto your computer.
MyPCBackup, another one of our highly rated online backup services, backs up external drives and flash drives at no additional cost. Just make sure it is connected to your computer when the backup runs and you are good to go! Mozy also does it for free but specifies that it only backs up drives that are "fixed", meaning that flash drives will not be backed up.
In general, the best way to confirm the backup of your flash drive's files is to manually copy them onto your computer. Then when you do your next backup, those files are bound to be saved!
Can I back up two different types of computers on the same Mozy plan?
June 2nd, 2011 - Posted by Sarah
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q. I will be backing up three computers. I have two Dells using Windows Vista and one Mac using OSX. Can I back up two different types of computers on the same Mozy (125 GB) plan?
A. Yes. We like Mozy: It's reliable and inexpensive (especially with our exclusive discount), and it can back up both Macs and PCs. It's a great solution for online backup. The 125GB plan offers backup for three computers. When we asked Mozy if you can back up the different types of computers, they said that it was possible; you just need to make sure to download Mozy on each machine from the Mozy website. So on your Dells, download Mozy for Windows, and on your Mac, download Mozy for Mac.
You can add even more computers or devices of any kind, but it costs $2 more per computer per month.
I currently use an external hard drive and would also like to keep that backed up automatically. Is this possible?
June 1st, 2011 - Posted by Sarah
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q. I currently use an external hard drive and would also like to keep that backed up automatically. Is this possible?
A. You bet it's possible! Not all online backup companies back up external hard drives, but many do. Mozy is a great choice if you're new to online backup, but if you're an advanced user, we recommend SpiderOak. iDrive is an excellent solution for the budget-conscious. Other options include ElephantDrive, SOS Online Backup, and iBackup (which is basically the business version of iDrive). All of these online backup companies have the ability to back up external devices automatically. Just follow the directions after you sign up!
NextAdvisor reviews SpiderOak online backup
May 13th, 2011 - Posted by Sarah
Looking for a place in the cloud to put your important and/or sensitive data? SpiderOak is seamless, secure online file backup for advanced users. It consolidates your syncing, sharing, backup, remote file access, and more in just one place. The interface is a pleasure to use, so if you've used online backup before and want a more secure, multifaceted solution than, say, Carbonite or Mozy, check out SpiderOak.
You get 2GB of storage and an unlimited number of devices (including network and external drives) for free, but it's $10 a month for each 100GB after that. Annual plans save you 17% as well.
Posting vacation plans on Twitter is probably a bad idea
June 26th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin
Israel Hyman is an avid Twitter user. He uses the microblogging service to promote his website, IzzyVideo.com, and to connect with his customers on a more personal level. So he thought nothing of sharing a few details about his recent trip to Kansas City. When he and his wife returned to their home in Arizona, they discovered it had been burgled while they were away. There's no evidence that Hyman's tweets led directly to the burglary. But I'm guessing that he regrets those tweets either way, and probably won't be posting the details of his next vacation.
Tech Digest points out that Hyman also displayed a link to his Flickr page, which contained photos of his computers, bicycle and flat screen television, all of which were geo-tagged with his home address. In the context of this story, Hyman's oversharing looks pretty foolish. But it's hardly uncommon to reveal such detail about ourselves on various social networking sites.
Tech Digest also offers five tips on how to enjoy Twitter and other social networking sites without making yourself quite so vulnerable:
- Protect your updates. Twitter provides an option that allows only approved followers to view your tweets. You can access this option on the "Account" page, under "Settings." Simply check the box at the bottom of this page. If you choose not to protect your updates, anyone can find your tweets using the search feature, even if they are not following you.
- Watch your words. Once you've revealed sensitive personal information on Twitter or Facebook, there's no taking it back. Even if you delete the post, that information will still be accessible to those who are willing to put in a certain amount of effort.
- Don't geo-tag everything. Most new cell phones and some cameras offer an option to automatically geo-tag your photos. Check and see whether your pictures include location data. If so, remove that information before uploading your images to Facebook, Twitpic or Flickr.
- Keep your personal away from your business. Tech Digest suggests that Hyman's biggest mistake was mixing his personal life and his business life in one account. On the one hand, he's sharing personal information, but on the other, he's promoting himself to strangers and acquiring as many followers as he can.
- Don't click on every single link that comes through. Clicking on every hyperlinked URL on Twitter is a great way to accidentally wind up with malware on your computer.
That last tip deserves particular emphasis. Twitter's 140 character limit requires most links to be shortened using TinyURL or another hyperlink shortener. This prevents users from verifying that a link is legitimate before clicking. It would be quite simple to lure readers with the promise of an interesting article or some salacious gossip, alongside a link to malware.
And the personal information carelessly strewn across Twitter and other social networking sites isn't only an invitation to burglars. It's also an invitation to cybercriminals. It's easier and less risky for a thief to steal your identity than your television. And a few tidbits of sensitive data may be all an identity thief needs to crack your email password, or find some other opportunity to take advantage of you. Once he's opened a fraudulent account in your name, he can buy his own television and send you the bill.
It is certainly possible to use Twitter and other social networking websites without putting yourself at risk. Just consider the potential consequences before exposing your own personal information, or clicking mystery links. And consider investing in extra protection against these potential consequences.
McAfee to partner with Mozy to offer online backup services
June 10th, 2009 - Posted by Joe
McAfee, which received a five star rating in our comparison of Internet security software providers, is partnering with Mozy, a five star provider from our online backup service comparison, to offer online backup services.
According to McAfee officials, the service will cost $50 to $60 per month for unlimited data backup and will be targeted at consumers. The service is expected to be available to McAfee customers sometime before the end of 2009.
We recommend that most consumers simply sign up for the Mozy service directly versus waiting for the McAfee product to be released. NextAdvisor.com visitors receive a special 15% discount on an annual plan which means that an annual subscription of Mozy costs just $46.29 when you use the discount promo code "NEXT" during the online checkout process.
That being said, we do applaud McAfee for taking steps to increase awareness of the importance of data backup.
You can learn more about Mozy and other online back up services by visiting our reviews and comparison of online backup.
Does Carbonite's unlimited backup storage include data on other drives?
April 20th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
Q: Does Carbonite's unlimited backup storage include data on other drives (D, E, etc., which are either internal or external) in addition to the C drive?
A: By default, Carbonite backs up everything in your Documents and Settings folder, as well as all of your music. The default backup does not include programs, system files, temporary files, videos, or individual files greater than 4GB. You can manually add any of these, from any internal hard drive, to your Carbonite backup. Carbonite does not guarantee support for external hard drives, and we have heard conflicting reports as to whether or not it is possible to successfully back up an external hard drive with Carbonite.
Mozy, another of the online backup services reviewed on NextAdvisor.com, does back up external hard drives.
To learn more about Carbonite, Mozy, and other online backup services, see our reviews and comparison chart.
Will Mozy back up my external hard drive?
April 13th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
Q: Will Mozy, or any of the online backup offerings, allow me to back up my external drive along with my desktop drive? Thanks.
A: Yes, they will. Mozy can backup any drive that Windows recognizes as "fixed." Operating systems consider hard drives "fixed," regardless of whether they are internal or external. DVD/CD-ROMs, media cards and some thumb or flash drives are not considered "fixed," and cannot be backed up.
You can tell if your drive is "fixed" by doing the following: Click Start Menu, then click My Computer. "Fixed" drives appear under Hard Disk Drives, while unfixed drives appear under Devices with Removable Storage. If you do not see these sections, click View > Arrange Icons by > Show in Groups. If your external drive is not "fixed," first copy the data onto one of your "fixed" drives, then select the data for back up.
To learn more about Mozy or other online backup services, see our reviews and comparison chart.
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