Mozy Home Review: The Good and the Not-so-Good about Mozy Home Online Backup Service
Mozy Home is one of the two services offered by Mozy for online backup. The other is Mozy Pro which is intended for business use. As the name implies, this service is intended for personal and home use. Compared to other online storage services, Mozy Home is one of the more affordable online backup solutions for the home. This review will provide an overview of the service and will help you determine if it’s a good value for the money or not.For less than $5 per month, here’s a summary of what you get:Unlimited storageSoftware that is easy to install and use Automatic or scheduled backup on either the PC or MacMulti-layer security for both the transmission process and the file storageBackup process that works quietly in the background without slowing down your computerRemote access to filesWhat’s Good and Not-so-GoodOne great thing about Mozy Home is that there is a free version for those who only have a small amount of data to backup. The free version allows you to backup up to 2GB of data. If you need more space than that, then you’ll need to upgrade to the unlimited plan. Don’t worry, though, because the plan is less than $5 per month and you get unlimited backup storage space! Getting started with Mozy Home for first-time users is not a problem at all as the setup process is simple and the interface is user-friendly. But don’t be surprised if the initial backup takes days to finish if you have a really large volume of data to back up. The same is true with other online storage and backup services due to the constraints of the upload speeds of Internet connections.Once the initial backup is completed, you can set it to do automatic backups or scheduled backups. From that point forward, Mozy Home works seamlessly in the background without hogging so much of your computer’s resources. The service also gets points when it comes to the security of your files as they are encrypted before leaving your computer and are then uploaded via a secured Internet connection and then stored in their encrypted state on Mozy’s secure servers. When it comes to restoring your files, Mozy gives you three options on how you want your files restored: desktop, web, and DVD restore. Having multiple options to restore your data is good but some users have reported that the restore process can take a while. In some cases, it can take Mozy a good 24 hours just to prepare your data for restoration if you have a large set of data to restore, and that doesn’t include the time it takes to actually download the files or have them sent to you via the DVDs if you choose that option.For smaller files, you can do a quick and easy desktop restore, where you simply use the restore interface found in your Mozy Home desktop software interface. For larger files however, Mozy recommends you use web restore where you make a restore request directly to Mozy. While the request itself can be done easily, downloading the zip files can take some time, and for those unfamiliar with zip files, sorting through these can be pretty daunting. If either option doesn’t work for you, you can also use the DVD restore alternative and have your files sent to you on DVD for a fee of about $60.Mozy Home also doesn’t fare as well when it comes to customer support, according to some users. For starters, there is no telephone support. You can only contact Mozy via live chat or by email. The other issue is that some users have commented that Mozy can be slow to respond to queries and that the information provided isn’t always thorough. However, many users report that Mozy’s support is responsive and excellent at providing information.Mozy Home Review SummaryJust like any other online backup service, Mozy Home has its pros and cons. It isn’t perfect but then again no service is. Overall, Mozy Home is an excellent value. To get unlimited backup for less than $5 per month is cheap “insurance” and a great way to protect your important files and data.
Read the full Mozy Home review to get more detailed information and to find out how to get 10% off your subscription! Only then will you be able to decide if it is the best online storage solution for you!
Posted by Dave Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Categories: Computer Backup
Tags: About, Backup, Good, Home, Mozy, NotsoGood, Online, Review, Service
Carbonite vs Mozy Home: Which Service Holds the Edge for Online Backup?
Carbonite vs Mozy Home is the ultimate match-up between two of the leading online backup services available today. In this day in age where data loss, virus attacks, computer crashes, and theft are too common, it’s imperative computer files are backed up regularly and that’s where these two providers come into play. So why only compare Carbonite vs Mozy Home? The answer is easy. These are the two most popular and widely used online backup services for home users right now. They dominate this market because they both are easy to use and very inexpensive. The real question is, which one is best? Let’s take a look at some of the most important areas to evaluate when it comes to online backup and see how these two providers compare.Cost & Storage CapacityThe amount of data you can backup online and the cost of doing so are probably the two areas of concern that come to mind immediately for home users contemplating which backup provider to choose. Both Carbonite and Mozy Home offer unlimited backup. It doesn’t matter if you have a few files to backup or several thousand, you won’t have anything to worry about with either provider. Carbonite offers one, two, and three year subscriptions. The one year subscription costs $54.95. Mozy Home offers a month-to-month plan and one and two year subscriptions. Their month-to-month plan costs $4.95/month while their one year subscriptions are $54.45. Ease of UseBoth providers promise their services are easy to use and that the backup process when using their services is literally “set and forget.” According to most users of both services, Carbonite and Mozy Home deliver on those promises. There is one common complaint, however, for both providers and that is the time it takes for the initial backup. It’s important to point out that this isn’t the fault of either service provider. The time it takes for the initial backup is totally dependent on amount of the data that needs to be backed up and the speed of your Internet connection. If you have 30GB of data that needs to be backed up initially it will take roughly the same amount of time using either one of these providers because of the constraints of upload speeds of most Internet connections.While the match up in this area seems to be even, Carbonite takes the slight edge over Mozy Home according to users because of its simple interface. Mozy Home has more advanced settings within its interface which may satisfy computer geeks but it seems to be overwhelming for some home users.? Backup Process and Security Carbonite and Mozy Home both allow automatic or scheduled backups so that you can just install the software, run the initial backup and select your backup settings (automatic or scheduled), and then just literally forget about it. As for security, both of these online backup service providers use advanced technology to ensure that your files are encrypted on your computer before they are uploaded to their secured servers. Both services keep your files encrypted while being stored on their servers.Restoring FilesCarbonite uses a standard process for restoring files which is activated simply by using the restore function in the software’s desktop interface. With Mozy Home, you can restore your files using one of three methods: desktop interface restore, web restore, and DVD restore. It is also important to note that with both Carbonite and Mozy Home, restoring a large set of data and files can take a while so if you have 30GB of data to restore, don’t expect to have it back on your computer within a few hours. Instead, it can take a few days.? Customer SupportIn this category, users of both services say their is need for improvement. There have been comments from users of both providers that support can be slow at responding to customer queries and that the information they are given isn’t complete and thorough. Overall, Carbonite has the edge because it offers phone, live chat, and email support. Mozy Home only offers live chat and email support. Carbonite vs Mozy Home SummaryJudging from the above feature-for-feature match up, Carbonite and Mozy Home are virtually identical in price and features so it’s difficult to declare an absolute winner. Neither one is perfect but you shouldn’t expect that when you’re getting unlimited online storage for less than $5/month. For every customer that swears by Carbonite, there is one that swears by Mozy Home. The match up is virtually dead even.The best thing to do is to try both services to see which one works best for you and to decide which one you like the best. Both services are incredibly cheap and easy to test. Carbonite backup offers a free 15-day trial and Mozy Home has a month-to-month option that only costs $4.95/month. Take them both for a test drive and see for yourself which one is the winner!
Read the full Carbonite vs Mozy Home comparison and review and see which one is declared the “Editor’s Choice” by the editor of the website, best online storage.