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#2 - Mozy Review
Features
MozyHome offers an excellent solution for any home computer user who is looking for an inexpensive means of backing up their hard drive. For a monthly fee, the upgrade to MozyPro also offers businesses a number of high-level features not seen in many other providers.
Mozy 2.0 adds a feature named "2xProtect" that not only backs up your data online, it will automatically backup your data to a local drive as well. Now, you can backup online and backup to an external drive with the same software. This is a backup method that we computer support technicians have recommended to our customers for years. We are happy to to see this new feature as we are convinced it will serve the average computer user well.
Mozy's "2x Protect" has two major benefits:
- Your data will be backed up and protected on your local hard drive long before the online backup process has completed. It can take days to upload a lot of data to Mozy, and the sooner your data is protected with a full backup, the better.
- If/When you have a hard drive failure, or you experience some other data loss scenario, you can quickly recover using your local backup. Again, waiting for your all of your files to be processed and then downloaded from Mozy's data centers can take a while.
Mozy 2.0 gives you a boost in speed. Mozy says that their updated system prepares your files for upload 75 percent faster, and transfers your data over the Internet to Mozy's data centers 25 percent faster than the previous versions of their system.
Mozy 2.0 adds a "Pause Backup" button to the Status window which gives you more control over your system performance, as well as your Internet bandwidth. If you want the full power of your computer, you can click the "Pause Backup" button. When you are ready to resume the backup, just click the "Start Backup" button.
Finally, Mozy 2.0 adds a display in the Status window that indicates the number of files that have already been backed up to Mozy, as well as the number of files that have not yet been backed up.
Upon sign-up, Mozy presents users with an application to download and install. Once the initial backup sets have been created, Mozy backs up data automatically, either by scheduled backup or while the system is idle.
The idle system method is the simpler of these two, although you have to make sure that the system is actually left idle periodically throughout the day or the backup won’t take place. However, the block-level system which is used by Mozy means that after the first back-up, subsequent ones are pretty fast, so the system only needs to be idle for short periods of time for these to occur.
As with any automated online backup service we do recommend that you periodically verify that your data is being backed up properly.
When setup properly, Mozy doesn't noticeably impact computer system performance by slowing your machine as some programs are known to do. In addition, you can control the amount of bandwidth used by the service (bandwidth throttling) so that it doesn't impede other network or Internet-based applications.
For both businesses and home users, another benefit of the Mozy system is that files can be restored to any version saved within the last 30 days. This feature is great if the restore is needed because you have wiped a file or saved over something you shouldn't have.
Finally, Mozy 2.0 adds a display in the Status window that indicates the number of files that have already been backed up to Mozy, as well as the number of files that have not yet been backed up.
Upon sign-up, Mozy presents users with an application to download and install. Once the initial backup sets have been created, Mozy backs up data automatically, either by scheduled backup or while the system is idle.
The idle system method is the simpler of these two, although you have to make sure that the system is actually left idle periodically throughout the day or the backup won’t take place. However, the block-level system which is used by Mozy means that after the first back-up, subsequent ones are pretty fast, so the system only needs to be idle for short periods of time for these to occur.
As with any automated online backup service we do recommend that you periodically verify that your data is being backed up properly.
When setup properly, Mozy doesn't noticeably impact computer system performance by slowing your machine as some programs are known to do. In addition, you can control the amount of bandwidth used by the service (bandwidth throttling) so that it doesn't impede other network or Internet-based applications.
For both businesses and home users, another benefit of the Mozy system is that files can be restored to any version saved within the last 30 days. This feature is great if the restore is needed because you have wiped a file or saved over something you shouldn't have.
Should you ever need to restore all of your data at once, Mozy offers in-client, in-Windows, web-based, and DVD restores.
The Mozy system supports both Windows (2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows 7) and Mac OS X.
The MozyPro version gets you the following extras:
- Server support in Windows and Mac
- Network drive support in Windows and Mac
- 24-hour phone tech support
- A custom your-company.mozypro.com domain
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Centralized billing, support, and administration
Security - 
Security is definitely one of the strong points of the Mozy service. Blowfish encryption is used on all backed up files, which are then sent using 128-bit SSL, the same standard used by banks. An added level of security is also possible since users are offered the option of controlling their own encryption key.
A nice extra, which most other services don’t offer, is the option to receive customized alerts regarding the health of your account. This should let you see quite easily if there is a problem with the data you’ve backed up, so there are no nasty surprises if you should have to restore at a later stage. Again, we do recommend that you manually verify your backup (make sure your files are indeed backed up, and that you can download and open/use them.) periodically with any online backup service.
Price/Value -
Security is definitely one of the strong points of the Mozy service. Blowfish encryption is used on all backed up files, which are then sent using 128-bit SSL, the same standard used by banks. An added level of security is also possible since users are offered the option of controlling their own encryption key.
A nice extra, which most other services don’t offer, is the option to receive customized alerts regarding the health of your account. This should let you see quite easily if there is a problem with the data you’ve backed up, so there are no nasty surprises if you should have to restore at a later stage. Again, we do recommend that you manually verify your backup (make sure your files are indeed backed up, and that you can download and open/use them.) periodically with any online backup service.
Price/Value -
Unfortunately, Mozy no longer offers unlimited online backup (Carbonite does--see Carbonite review).
Ease of Use - 
While using Mozy isn't quite as simple as Carbonite, the interface is well designed, intuitive, and it shouldn't pose a problem for most users.
Downloading and installing the Mozy application was easy enough. Simply click a few buttons and follow the step-by-step guide. The process is especially simple for those taking advantage of the free storage option, as you only need to fill in an e-mail address and choose a password to get started.
The only manual part of the process, which is setting up the initial backups, is simplified by the automatic scan which is performed by the Mozy software. The user simply has to select the folders which should be included.
While using Mozy isn't quite as simple as Carbonite, the interface is well designed, intuitive, and it shouldn't pose a problem for most users.
Downloading and installing the Mozy application was easy enough. Simply click a few buttons and follow the step-by-step guide. The process is especially simple for those taking advantage of the free storage option, as you only need to fill in an e-mail address and choose a password to get started.
The only manual part of the process, which is setting up the initial backups, is simplified by the automatic scan which is performed by the Mozy software. The user simply has to select the folders which should be included.
Mozy's data restore process is as easy as the setup, and can be done through the software or the Internet with just a few clicks.
Another nice feature which we have not seen with many other services is the offer of a DVD restore, which makes the restore process considerably easier, since the DVD just needs to be booted and automatically copies the files across to the system. This takes far less time than manually downloading the files from the Web.
Support -
Customer service seems to be high on the agenda with Mozy, with one exception: they do not provide phone support for their many MozyHome customers.
Beyond that, everything is rosy. There is a live chat option, which is always nice. This live chat option is especially beneficial to those outside the U.S. as it reduces the cost of international calling.
If the problem is less urgent, there is an extensive knowledge base available, which is both comprehensive and well organized making information is easy to find.
Another nice feature which we have not seen with many other services is the offer of a DVD restore, which makes the restore process considerably easier, since the DVD just needs to be booted and automatically copies the files across to the system. This takes far less time than manually downloading the files from the Web.
Support -
Customer service seems to be high on the agenda with Mozy, with one exception: they do not provide phone support for their many MozyHome customers.
Beyond that, everything is rosy. There is a live chat option, which is always nice. This live chat option is especially beneficial to those outside the U.S. as it reduces the cost of international calling.
If the problem is less urgent, there is an extensive knowledge base available, which is both comprehensive and well organized making information is easy to find.
Mozy Review 2012 Conclusion
Mozy is a great choice for the home and small business user who has a fairly good grasp of how file and folder structures work on their computer. The free version offers many of the same benefits of the paid for services for free to these users. Although there are a couple of drawbacks in comparison to other systems, the benefits generally outweigh these. Several unique features of the service could also make this an attractive solution for businesses.
For more information on Mozy, or to sign-up, Click Here
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