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Back up software for a 5 computer office?
What back up software would you recommend to support a small office (5 networked computers)? I want something that will do 2X daily automatic back ups without any extra buttons to click. What software do you use, and would you recommend it for my needs?
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8 Answers
Hey John,
We use Asigra backup technologies (www.asigra.com) for our systems and our clients. It allows us to install one client on the network and backup all machines. We are able to back up single files, directories, whole computers/servers, SQL/MySQL/Oracle/IBM DB2 databases, Exchange databases (and can restore single emails), Sharepoint, VMware, and NetWare. We are able to backup Windows, Linux, or MAC machines.
We are able to setup as many backups as needed (once a day, twice a day, or more) and you don't have to worry about anything after it's setup. We can also create local backups for quick recovery along with the online backups to provide extra disaster recovery -- even bare metal restores are possible. There are many more benefits to using Asigra as a backup solution, if your interested I would be happy to talk to you about it more.
As some have said there are many online backups solutions on the market, but make sure you know what you are looking for. Some are better suited to doing backups of documents and small files rather than whole system backups.
I have used Carbonite, Mozy, and BackBlaze extensively. For simple needs, all these products are good. However, once you start having lots of files, they all hit performance issues of various types.
In my case, I currently have 1.2 million files (totaling 1.5 terabytes) backed up on BackBlaze. I like the service a lot, but performance when it seeks out new or changed files is killing my system. With smaller number of files, BackBlaze generally worked better than Carbonite or Mozy for me.
What kind of OS is in use on those machines?
There are some critical questions that need to be answered. What is the nature of the network? Is it pier to pier or is there a central server? Are all business critical files stored in a single location? These questions need to be addressed before an opinion on an application can be proposed.
Rick Freeman
If your five computers are already linked via the Internet, a client-oriented backup offering such as Carbonite or Mozy will let you automatically back up selected files on each. Carbonite offers 14-day free trials and is fairly trivialv to install and invisible to use. The company also offers apps that allow iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and BlackBerry users to access and share backed-up files on demand.
If your small office uses or is considering using a hosted VoIP phone service, several providers also offer free or inexpensive data backup and recovery services as well. The combined business benefits could justify hosted VoIP for your business.
Look carefully at your needs, then find an affordable, reliable and painless option -- could be the best business investment you make! Thanks for the question and please keep us apprised of your progress!
I agree with Michael. Online backup is a great way to handle backups because you not only get your files backed up but you also get them backed up offsite in case of a disaster.
Jay
https://www.jungledisk.com/
Great for any OS, Now owned by Rackspace...
An update to my earlier answer -- I now have a bit of "real-life" experience with Mozy and Carbonite, which I've detailed in a recent blog post at http://dortchonsaas.blogspot.com/2010/06/cloud-based-backup-in-real-life-my.html. So far, I've come down on the side of Mozy, but I remain open to persuasion. Hope this and my blog are helpful to your decision-making -- make sure to let us know!
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