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Mozy Review: Online Backup |
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| Great low-cost online backup, though remote access is cumbersome; exclusive discount | |
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[Editor's Note: Mozy is offering NextAdvisor visitors an exclusive discount of 20% off with promo code: GOLD, until the end of March. This discount is applied on top of Mozy's annual-plan promotions, bringing the total discounts on one- and two-year plans to 27% and 30% respectively.]
Mozy is a leading online backup service that really gets a number of things right. It's frequently compared to rival Carbonite; both are good options for unlimited online backup. Mozy may not be a common name to most, but its parent company EMC is a giant in the information infrastructure industry. Mozy, like other online backup services, is designed to run transparently in the background. Set it up initially and you won't really have to touch it again, unless your hard drive crashes or you want to take advantage of some of its more advanced features. Its default backup set is not as comprehensive as Carbonite's, so if you want it to back up your email you'll need to enable it after selecting "Advanced Backup Sets" in the preferences. Mozy is very configurable, and advanced users will probably want to adjust a number of settings in there to suit their needs (we might suggest setting it up for more frequent backups). Your initial backup will take time. In fact, if you have a large hard drive you'll need to keep your computer on and Internet-connected for a day or more. After that, backups are quick, backing up only recently created or changed files. The main purpose of online backup is to keep your data secure in the event of catastrophic hard drive failure. But there are other, more regular uses for it as well. You can recover individual files that become corrupted or are accidentally deleted (deleted files stay on Mozy's servers for 30 days). You also have the ability to roll-back a file to a different version, say one you created a few days ago. This is enormously helpful if you make an unalterable change to an important document. To us, this seems to be the best unsung feature of online backup. And Mozy makes it fairly easy. Mozy offers a number of methods for file restoration. It works best with the freely downloadable Mozy client. Another option, for those who've had a truly catastrophic crash is to have Mozy send you DVDs (the process takes a few days and is not free). While Mozy does offer you the ability to access your files from any Internet-connected computer, the process is not quite as fast or easy as it should be. We prefer Carbonite's one-click download to Mozy's awkward retrieval notification system. Those who think they will need remote file access in a pinch, would be advised to go with Carbonite. Mozy's unlimited storage plans start at $4.21 per month (after discount) for unlimited storage. An annual plan is $46.01, or just about $3.80 per month. A two-year plan will save you even more. So, between Carbonite and Mozy, which is best? Ultimately, we like Carbonite's remote access options, default backup sets, and smarter backup system a bit better. Mozy, however, has a good backup client, and you can select monthly, rather than annual plans. And, of course, Mozy is a bit cheaper. Those who really can't decide may want to take advantage of Mozy's free use of 2GB to see if the service is right for them. |
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| Discount / Free Trial: | 2 GB free; 20% off 1 mo; 27% off 1 yr; 30% off 2 yrs; promo code: GOLD |
| Paid Storage Fees: | Discount price: $3.96/mo; $43.57 for 1 yr; $83.16 for 2 yrs |
| Gigabytes (GB) of Storage Included: | Unlimited |
| File Access Options: | Access from any computer's web browser |
| System Compatibility: | Mac OS X 10.4 or above |
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