Off site data storage

[rrw]

Does anyone have any recomendations for an off-site data storage company? We have everything backed up twice, but if the place burned down . . . :( We're looking into a few different ones and wondered if anyone could share their experiences.

[mueller]

I have used Carbonite for a few years without problem but recently it has started to cause the CPU to run at 100%. I fixed it at one point by doing a reinstall as directed by their support but the problem just came back a few weeks later.

I have been looking at other solutions that don't break the bank which is a tall order since I currently backup almost 60GB. Right now I am leaning towards Mozy but haven't pulled the trigger.

[DaveW]

I have been using IBackup Professional for about 9 months on both our data server and Exchange box. It seems to work flawlessly and is (IMO) reasonably priced.

HTH, IMO, etc.

DaveW

[mueller]

It seems to work flawlessly and is (IMO) reasonably priced.

I would have to pay their plan that costs almost $1,000 a year. With Carbonite I was paying $50 a year. Granted the IBackup has some extra features such as past version storage but for just backup I have not found a better price that what Carbonite has. I just wish I didn't start having trouble with their software.

[DaveW]

Does Carbonite have enterprise level stuff? IBackup has SQL, AD and Exchange support native, which I thought was nice. I think we do pay $75 per month for 60GB of storage, so that is pretty steep compared to $50/year. :)

It seemed real cheap compared to replacing my Exabyte tape drive, but if Carbonite has the same features...

DaveW

[mueller]

No, Carbonite is definitely a consumer not professional level service. Basically you set it up and it constantly backs up changed files in the background. The initial backup can take up to a week depending on size, but after that it keeps itself up to date. There is no way to access individual files via a web interface for versioning or anything like that. Just disaster recovery.

Personally I use my local backup (three separate drives on two separate machines not including the laptops) to handle versions in case I need to step back a version or two. The offsite is only for catastrophic issues.

[rrw]

Thanks, everyone--much appreciated! I'm torn between Mozy and Carbonite--seems like Mozy might be a little better, only because you have more access to your stored information and you can make your own key. I'm concerned, however, with their tech support--doesn't get great reviews. Still searching!

[mueller]

only because you have more access to your stored information and you can make your own key

You are definitely correct about the additional access through Mozy, but there is an option to use your own key with Carbonite. They advise against it because if you lose it and need to restore you data they cannot help at all. Probably a good policy for the general public who may store the key on their computer they are backing up not realizing that if the HD crashes not only will they lose their data but also the key.....

As for support, I was not very impressed with Carbonite the few times I had to contact them. They just took a few days to get back to me with a response which is not the support I like to see.

[rrw]

Agreed! A product is only as good as it's support in my book. Thanks for the input!