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!

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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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

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.

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.

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.

In a very pro-consumer move, HP will be providing full refunds to all subscribers in an amount equal to the fees they paid while they were an active paid member of the service.

We would strongly suggest that former Upline subscribers invest their refunds in a new online backup service such as Carbonite or Mozy. You can compare online backup services at NextAdvisor.com.

We never included HP Upline in our comparison of online backup services because of the various issues that plagued the service during it's short lifespan such as an extended downtime last April that left subscribers without file backups for days.

Below is the full text of the email sent to subscribers today:

Thank you for your interest in HP Upline.

HP continually evaluates product lines and has decided to discontinue the HP Upline service on March 31, 2009.

HP will no longer be backing up your files to the HP Upline servers as of Feb 26, 2009 at 8 am Pacific time. HP will keep the file restore feature of the Upline service operational through March 31, 2009 Pacific time in order for you to download any files you have backed up to Upline.

If you have a paid subscription to HP Upline, you will be refunded the full amount of the fees you paid for the service. That refund will be credited to the credit card account or PayPal account that you used to subscribe to the Upline service. If you do not receive the refund prior to March 31, 2009, please contact our customer service team at https://www.upline.com/support/email.aspx.

HP looks forward to offering you additional technology products and services in the future.

Thank you.

HP Upline team

So, how will Google's G Drive stack up against services like other top rated online backup services Carbonite or Mozy? Obviously, we won't know until the product actually materializes. However, our impression is that this service will be more appropriate for remote storage for files that you may need to access from multiple location or computers rather than for scheduled backups of all your important files.

Google has not confirmed any pending release date for the G Drive (or even the existence of the G Drive) at this point. However, we will continue to follow related news and developments in an effort to keep our readers informed about key changes in the online backup space.

In the meantime, you can read our reviews and comparison of online backup services at NextAdvisor.com.

This new 15% discount on Mozy's online backup service is available by clicking on the Mozy "Go to Site" link on NextAdvisor.com and entering the promo code NEXT when prompted during the check out process.

You can read our full review of Mozy and other online backup services on NextAdvisor.com.

Q:  My question about on-line backup is, if you somehow get a virus, or spyware, is this passed along w/ the regular backups and can they contaminate previous entries that make backups worthless?

A: This is an excellent question and one that we have seen come up very frequently.  The short answer is- no, you will not contaminate previous backups if your computer is attacked by a virus or spyware.  Here is the long answer:

Online backup services typically only backup files and program data and not the associated programs.  For example, online backup services like Carbonite and Mozy will backup your Microsoft Office documents and settings, but not the actual Microsoft programs.  So, spyware and virus programs will not be backed up by most online backup services.

It is possible that a document that you backup could include a virus, but viruses in documents are typically only activated when the file is opened.  This is where having an Internet security software program, including anti-virus protection, on your computer is important.  Most security software programs will scan files as you open them and alert you to any potential threats.

If your computer does become contaminated by a virus, we recommend following these steps provided by Len from Carbonite's customer support team:

When recovering from a virus infection, my recommendation would be to reinstall your operating system and applications, and in particular a good anti-virus program. Be sure to get the latest virus definition files from the manufacturer of the anti-virus program. (This is usually included as part of your subscription, and the latest definition files can be downloaded via the Internet.) After reinstalling your operating system and anti-virus program, restore your backup, but be careful not to open your restored documents until after scanning them for viruses.

You can learn more about online backup services by visiting our comparison and reviews of online backup services.

While the new knowledge base is primarily targeted towards existing Mozy subscribers, it could also be a great resource for those consumers that have specific questions about the Mozy service that they would like to have answered before they buy.

The Mozy knowledge can be accessed by visiting http://www.support.mozy.com.

You can learn more about Mozy and other online back services by visiting the NextAdvisor.com guide to online backup services.

You can learn more by reading our full review of Mozy or by viewing our reviews and comparison of online backup services.

To save 10% on Mozy, simply click on this link and enter the promo code JUNE when prompted during the check out process.

To learn more about Mozy or other online backup services, please visit our online backup service reviews and comparison.

Mozy offers 2GB of free online storage and ElephantDrive offers 1GB for free. While most people will run through those smaller amounts of storage pretty quickly, it does give consumers an option to try a fully functional version of these services with the option to upgrade if they need more storage. Additionally, most of the online backup services we reviewed offer some form of free trial (such as 14 days free from Carbonite).

Free storage is just one of the key that we have benefits of online backup that we have previously covered. You can learn more about online backup by visiting our guide to online backup services.

David Zeiler from the Baltimore Sun is reporting a recent issue with Time Machine that has him wondering whether or not the service can truly be relied upon.

But a spate of bugs with Time Machine has me wondering whether I can fully trust it. If nothing else, backup software must be absolutely reliable.

The bug that caught my attention affects my Mac Pro. Since installing the incremental 10.5.3 Leopard update (released May 28), Time Machine occasionally craps out in the middle of one of its hourly backups.

It presents the following message: “Unable to complete backup. An error occurred while copying files to the backup volume.”

Not exactly reassuring, eh?

Mac users looking for a time machine alternative should investigate Mozy, an online backup service that received our highest five star rating in our recent comparison of online backup services. Unlike Time Machine or other backup services that depend on external hard drives for storage, Mozy stores all of their user's backed up files remotely. We prefer this solution since online backups solve many of the potential issues caused by offline storage.

You can learn more about Mozy and other online backup services by reading our reviews and comparison of online backup services.

DivShare is not one of the online backup services we have reviewed and recommended. As we posted a couple of weeks ago, Mozy and Carbonite, two of the services that we do recommend, were recently found to be the two most secure online backup services according to Heise, a German computer security publication. Both successfully thwarted attempts by all testers to gain unauthorized data stored on either service. To learn more about Mozy, Carbonite and other online backup services we have reviewed, view our online backup service comparison.

Since not everyone may be as familiar with the process of setting up online backups with Mozy, we have put together a simple thirteen step walkthrough of the process. You can use this guide as reference while your are configuring your Mozy account or simply review it beforehand to get comfortable with the process of setting up your Mozy account.

Make sure you click here to sign up for a Mozy account before you get started.

Step 1: Registration

Registering for Mozy is as simple as providing your name, email address, a password of six or more characters and the type of account you want to create. It is a good idea to write down your password since you will need it later on to access your Mozy account. Your Mozy username will be the email address you enter on this screen. Consumers should choose MozyHome Unlimited while businesses should select MozyPro, which is for office use. For the purposes of this guide we will select the consumer MozyHome Unlimited option.

Step 2: Computers and Billing

At this point must choose the number of computers you would like to be able to backup and the frequency you would like to be billed. Each computer you plan on backing up with the Mozy service will cost you $4.95 per month but you can prepay to receive a slight discount. Mozy offers three separate billing options. You can either pre-pay for one or two years of service, which include one and three months of free online backup service respectively, or select monthly billing which will charge your credit card $4.95 per month. We recommend selecting one of the prepaid billing plans because there is a slight cost savings and it eliminates the need to worry about the monthly charges. For the purpose of this guide we will be selecting a monthly billing option on one computer. If you have a promotional code you can also enter it on this screen for additional savings. It is not required to move forward, so if you don't have a Mozy promotional code, don't worry.

Step 3: Purchasing Mozy

It is time to pay for your newly created MozyHome Unlimited online backup account. Before your process your credit card payment you should confirm that the number of computers, billing options and charges match up with what you selected in the previous step. Mozy accepts all major credit and debit cards, so it is a quick and easy process to pay for your new online backup service.

Step 4: Mac or PC Mozy Download

In this step you will select the type of computer you are going to be backing up with the Mozy online backup service. Mozy works with both Mac OSX and Windows based PCs. Select the appropriate type of software based off of your needs and the download will begin. For the purpose of this guide we will be downloading the Mozy software to a Windows PC. This step also allows you to enter the referral code of anyone who may have referred you to the Mozy service. If you don't have a referral code (and you won't if you came from NextAdvisor.com) don't worry. You can skip that portion of this step.

Step 5: Getting Started with Mozy on Your PC

Now that you have downloaded the Mozy software for your computer you can begin configuring the automated backups. Once you begin the process of configuring your Mozy online backups by clicking 'Next' on the first screen, you will be asked to read and accept the Mozy license agreement. Like most license agreements this spells out the basic terms and conditions you must agree to follow as a Mozy subscriber. It is pretty straightforward in nature but we encourage you to at least scan the agreement to make sure you understand the terms.

Step 6: Select Mozy Download Destination Directory

Now it is time to download the Mozy software on your PC. The first step is to decide where you would like to have the Mozy software stored on your computer. By default the Mozy online backup software will be saved in the program files of your computer's hard drive. Advanced users may want to save the Mozy files somewhere else, but most users can simply click 'Next' to continue the configuration process. Clicking on the 'Next' button will initiate the download of the Mozy software on your computer.

Step 7: Complete Mozy Software installation and Begin Configuring Online Backups

Once the Mozy software installation you will be presented with a screen that allows you to begin configuring your automated hard drive backups using the Mozy online backup service. Check the box marked "Launch MozyHome Configuration Wizard" and click 'Finish' to complete installation and move on to the configuration process.

Step 8: Login to Configure Automated Online Backups

Enter your username and password to login to your MozyHome Unlimited account. Your username is your email address and your password is the one you created in step one. Click the 'Next' button to move on to the next step.

Step 9: Establish Your Encryption Settings

User managed encryption is an advanced feature of Mozy. Advanced users may want to utilize a personal encryption key but most users should simply opt to utilize Mozy's default 448-bit key. Don't know the difference between an encryption key and a house key? Don't worry. We recommend using Mozy's default encryption settings so simply click the 'Next' button to move on to the next step.

Step 10: Select Which Files to Backup

Now it is time to choose which files you would like to securely backup online using your new MozyHome Unlimited account. Simply select or deselect the files that you do or do not want to include with your automated backups. Since Mozy offers unlimited storage for just $4.95 per month we suggest that you backup all of your files for the optimal level of protection. If you choose to backup only some files we recommend items such as important financial records and documents, digital pictures and music files, all of which may not be easily replaced. Again, there is no limit on how much data you can store with your new Mozy account so we think most consumers should simply choose to backup all their files.

Step 11: Test Your Upload Speed

Your Internet connections upload speed determines how quickly information can be processed from your computer to Mozy's servers where it will be securely stored. The faster your upload speed, the faster your files can be backed-up. Mozy's bandwidth test will determine your upload speed and the amount of data that can be transferred during a 24 hour period. This is really only important for your very first backup which will require uploading all the files you selected in the previous step. All future backups will only need to transfer the files that have been added or changed since the last backup which typically only takes minutes to complete.

Step 12: Selecting Backup Speed

Now it is time to determine how quickly Mozy will process your automated file backups. Mozy allows you to select how fast you would like these backup to run by sliding an arrow to along a spectrum. There is a direct relationship between how fast the backups run and their impact on the speed of your computer. The faster the online backup process runs the slower your computer will run. Mozy recommends selecting about 3/4 speed since they say that at this level your backups will run quickly but the impact on your computer will be minimal. Ultimately, it depends on your habits. If you will be processing backups in the background while you work at your computer then you may want to select slower backups. However, if you have periods of downtime during the day or plan on processing your backups while you are not using your computer at all, then choose quicker backups. This setting can be changed at any time, so if you aren't sure of your needs simply keep the default 3/4 speed backup setting in place. This step will also provide you an estimate of how long your initial backup may take.

Step 13: Start Your First Backup

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Mozy online backup automated backup setup process. We recommend that you process your initial backup with with new MozyHome unlimited account immediately to ensure full protection of your files.

As you can see, setting up automated backups with Mozy is a simple and painless process. Plus, you can now rest easy that your important files are safe and secure. To learn more about Mozy or other online backup services read our online backup service comparison and reviews.

Editor's Note: Contributing Editor Josh Steffen provided research for this guide.

Heise concluded that each of the six online backup services tested did use fairly complex security measures but, in some cases, they left elementary loopholes open to curious criminals. As stated in the Heise report:

[Online backup services] say they store customer data safely, some of the elementary security measures they take are implemented so carelessly and unprofessionally that they can easily be overcome.

Mozy and Carbonite, the only two services that we have reviewed which were included in the Heise testing, both successfully thwarted all attempts by testers to gain unauthorized data stored on either service. Heise gave the slight edge to Mozy as the test team preferred the companies handling of certain types of hacker attacks.

While we already think very highly of both these services, we are glad to see some additional independent verification of their quality from a security perspective. You can learn more about Mozy, Carbonite and other online backup services by viewing our online backup service comparison.

To take advantage of this Mozy promo offer simply click on this link to sign up for Mozy. When you are prompted enter one of the following discount codes:

For 10% off a MozyHome Unlimited annual account enter "APRIL".

For 10% off a MozyHome Unlimited biannual account enter "APRIL2".

Remember, you must use the link above to receive your promotional discount on Mozy online backup.

We found ElephantDrive to be easy to use and with a simple interface for automating backups and accessing documents. They also offer a free account with a maximum of 1GB of storage so that new users can familiarize themselves with ElephantDrive and make sure the service fits their needs before they buy.

ElephantDrive is built on top of Amazon.com's web infrastructure meaning that they use Amazon's web servers to store their customer's data. While it may seem strange of an online backup company to outsource their storage services to another storage company, we actually see it as a big plus. ElephantDrive customers can rest assured that they data they backup through the service is being stored safely and securely by a well established company like Amazon.com. This is actually a trend in this online backup service space as BeInSync also uses Amazon.

At $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year, ElephantDrive is almost two times the cost of Mozy or Carbonite. Additionally, ElephantDrive has file size limits of 1GB and maximum monthly file transfer of 1000GB. While the vast majority of users will have no problem staying within those limitations, we would prefer if they weren't enforced especially given the premium price of the ElephantDrive service.

Like Mozy, ElephantDrive offers Mac support although the services offered to Mac users are more limited than those offered to PC users. So, if Mac support is important to you you may want to evaluate Mozy as well.

Since ElephantDrive does offer a risk free unlimited trial of 1GB of storage we strongly suggest that any consumer in the market for an online backup service test it for themselves. In fact, it would be pretty simple to test ElephantDrive head to head with Mozy (who offers 2GB of free storage in their trial) to determine which is the preferred service for a given user's needs.

We have written extensively on the benefits of using an online backup service to secure your important files like music, videos or documents. It is great to see new services like Elephant drive entering the space as this will ultimately mean more innovation and more value created for consumers.

To learn more about online backup services read our recently updated online backup service reviews and comparison.