Marcus Hamaker is The Sleepy Geek

You absolutely need to backup your data! The geek needs a cool way to do this so there are is the Western Digital MyBook Studio. This thing has Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 for connectivity. If you have only your computer then this is a really nice way to backup your data.

Western Digital has a few models out there, some less fancy and some more portable but this one is there Cadillac. Featuring support for Windows and OSX along with a cool little LCD display give you drive information, this model takes the geek factor up a notch.

My most recent version of MyBook that I bought has a backup software included with it that I think everyone should use. If you don’t have something built into your OS (ie. WinXP) then it’s a good solution. It does all the regular things like allowing you to choose what to backup and when.

There isn’t much else really sexy about backing up. It’s like doing laundry, you just have to! But if you are going to do your laundry then do it with a MyBook Studio :)

Geek on!

We have been telling people to backup for so long now that we sound like a broken record. Everyone I know that is in my shoes; either helping their families and friends or taking it a step further and running a service business makes this one of their first recommendations. It’s hard to tell your family, friends or customers that they have lost all their data and we would really much rather help you retrieve it.

Up until now it has been standard issue to backup locally to another media such as a tape drive (I know – old school), a USB key, another computer or the most popular of today – an external hard drive. There is no question that this is a great practice and will save you heart ache in the case of a failure (hard drive crash on your main computer).

But what happens in the case of a more serious disaster? If your house were to be flooded… or your house were to burn down? There are numerous possibilities which mother nature can throw at us that will make having another copy in our house pointless. Here is where the new trend of Online Backup has come in. Now that people have high speed connections it makes more and more sense that we backup our data to an offsite location.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Online Backup solutions that I have compiled and would like to share:

1. Dropbox – A great service that also allows you to sync files to many computers seamlessly, I personally use this to sync my data files between home, work and my laptop. Free up to 2GB. Works with Windows, OS X and Linux as well!
   “Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they’ll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you’ve installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website.”
2. Mozy – This service seems to create the most buzz about online backup at the moment. They support Windows 2000/XP/Vista and OS X 10.4/10.5. Offering unlimited backup for $5/month per computer.
   “Mozy makes online backup possible for everyone with an affordable, secure solution that’s easy to use. Don’t just take our word for it. Check out the news section to see all the nice awards we have received and what the experts are saying about Mozy.”
3. Backblaze – Offering similar services to Mozy this is another contender due to price. Only supports Windows XP/Vista at the moment. Unlimited backup for $5/month per computer like Mozy.
   “The no fuss solution to getting all your data backed up securely. Online backup for only $5/month per computer for unlimited storage.”
4. iDrive – They offer a wide variety of backup solutions, even supporting Blackberry backups. Supporting Windows (too many versions to list!) and OS X. Another with 2GB free upfront and then offering some nice priced options for more space.
   There is no quick snippet to describe their service on the site. This looks to be because they offer so many options – which in my books makes them better :)
5. IBackup – This company seems to be targeting the business market but still does offer a good solution. Solutions for both Windows and OS X. Prices range but are generally $10/10GB of backup space.
   “IBackup enables consumers and organizations to get enterprise-class online backup with superior performance for their critical data at a fraction of cost. Global corporations, Business houses and people trust IBackup for their storage and backup needs.”
6. Carbonite – Another solution offering unlimited space. They support both Windows and OS X. Plans start at $54.95 for one year (which is about $4.60 a month) and get cheaper if you pay for 2 or 3 years.
   “Have you considered how much of your life is on your computer? Photos, emails, music, financial records, documents, and so much more. How would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and everything was gone?”
7. SOS Online Backup – With solutions for end users, business users and even servers – this is a good all around service. Only supported on Windows at this time. Plans are more expensive than others but if you are looking for a solution for home and business then to have everything together can be nice.
   “SOS Online Backup is PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice online backup tool, PC Pro Magazine online backup Labs Winner, PC User Top Buy, the Wall Street Journal’s preferred online backup solution, and Roam Magazine’s favorite pick. SOS Online Backup is the most awarded, and best performing backup system.”
8. Jungle Disk – Very customizable pricing means that you will only pay for what you use. This can get confusing because you may up sending more for the bandwidth and storage. The site is very clearly laid out and this can be a great option for people who like to work it in detail. Compatible with Windows, OS X and also Linux.
   “Jungle Disk has a great automatic backup system, and can easily be used for basic data backup, but Jungle Disk also gives you a complete network drive that you can use from multiple machines – like an unlimited size USB drive that you can connect to from anywhere. The exclusive caching features in Jungle Disk make it so that using your network drive is as fast as a local drive, and you don’t need to constantly transfer data from the server.”
9. Remote Backup Systems – This company refers you to remote backup service providers, so if you can’t decide they can take your needs and get you the best service.
   “Select from a variety of Online Backup Services to pefectly fit your needs and budget. Starting at only $4.95/month, our 8,500 Service Providers in 64 countries offer services to fit every need, from laptops to Servers. Search our Online Backup Directory. “
10. Symantec – The company with the longest history here, they offer a yearly fee which is very reasonable. Supporting only Windows. $49.99 for a yearly contract for 25GBs, can be used on 5 computers.
    “Norton Online Backup is a great way to free up some of your hard drive space. This product is easy to use and setup. It gives the peace of mind using the secure online storage, and knowing that your files are safe and not cluttering up your hard drive. Your files are accessible any time that you need them.”

Even if you don’t use one of these services… use something. Backup is very important and offsite backup is the way of the future.

Hope this helps you decide!

Geek on :)

I was chatting with @Gordonamy today and she was talking about a friend who lost of their followers. Seems like another Twitter glitch and so after some back and forth about the horrors  of it all, she asked “@thesleepygeek hopefully, its a simple fix hey, how DO we back up our lists anyway?”

Of course that prompts a searching session and it brought me here: http://tweetbackup.com/.

This service seems to provide a backup that we all probably want. The problem is that after some digging it isn’t a backup if your profile. ***UPDATE (2-May-09): Read the commend below from Jonas*** This service will simply backup all of your tweets and all you have to do it follow them. Their server will automatically follow your account and record anything that you tweet.

Cool service, but don’t be fooled. At this point the only people who are backing up twitter accounts are twitter themselves. Someone please prove me wrong and let me know!