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Overview and History Carbonite are based in Boston, MA and they launched their online backup solution in the middle of 2006. At the time of writing they backup and protect more than 2.5bn files for people in most modern contries. The company was founded in 2005 by David Friend and Jeff Flowers. Carbonite is a no nonsense, secure online backup service for unfussy home computer users, students, home office users, commercial travelers, etc. For under $5 each month, Carbonite secures all your precious data on your desktop (digital photos, sounds, spreadsheets and other important files) whilst your MAC is linked to the Internet. Carbonite is extremely easy to install and use, needing almost no ongoing user participation. The online backup service is arranged to instantly archive amended files from your Pc whenever it is connected to the internet. Security Carbonite security is delightfully high. data to and from your PC and their storage area is encoded with 3DES – which is very safe – and when on their servers your files is protected with Blowfish 448bit – it gets no better than that. Physically your information is held on dual state-of-the-art facilities in Massachusetts that provide carefully temperature-controlled rooms, fail-safe power generators, restricted personnel access, and loads of other features to protect the security and integrity of your data. Backup Features When initially setup Carbonite will backup the 'My Documents and Settings' folders yet this can quickly be amended via the desktop software. There is no maximum to the amount of data that can be saved, therefore you can manage as many or as few items as you desire. Archiving will start when your desktop is not busy, so there is no drain on resources or bandwidth. Alternatively, you can use the backup scheduler to backup when you want. Network drives and external drives cannot be backup up using Carbonite. In our tests it took thirty seven mins to upload 2Gb,2gig of files using a normal 8mbps internet line while sending and recieving other traffic on the internet. Carbonite offers a continuous backup facility which means that information is backed up as they are amended. This means you do not have to rely on scheduling backups and making sure your MAC is switched on when the scheduled time comes. Nevertheless, if scheduling is what you wish, the PC client does have that option as well. The backup progress can be monitored by an including progress bar. You can additionally add files and folders to the archive set by right-clicking. The Carbonite client gives a 'virtual drive letter' where you can see which files have been saved and which are currently scheduled archive. The client also annotates colored dots on files so you know if they are backed up, pending backup or not included in the backup set. The PC version allows unlimited 'file versioning' for 3 months. There are in addition no limits on the size of individual files or the amount of data that you can archive. But, it is important to take into account that the initial backup time needed is greater than that required when you are up and running and your first archive is complete. Restore Features Information recovery can be setup from either the software or the web site and can be restored to - by default - their original location or an alternaive location on the PC they were originally backup up on or to the web portal. On the PC client, file recovery can also be started by right-clicking a file or folder. There is also a search option so you can locate files to restore that match a specific filename or filename pattern. Control and Analysis The web portal Offers central administration for all Computers being backed up. The resource and upload/download usage can be geared between high and low. Reports are produced to verify what is backed up. Interface To use Carbonite you must setup the Carbonite Client Software on every device that will be backed up. However, once installed, all backups can be administered from a central admin portal. Multiple laptops can be managed via a single account, however, multi-account control is not supported. Once the software is installed, it permits access to a virtual drive letter that is designed to view the progress of backed up information and to restore information. The small icon in the bottom-right corner of the PC starts off yellow – this shows that the initial backup is being performed. When the initial backup is completed, the tray icon turns green. The desktop utility is uncluttered and easy to use. The online portal is straightforward. The utility is intended to be set-and-forget so the interfaces are not filled with lots of options but instead are setup to permit you to select what and when you want to backup and then leave the client to do it. Device Support There is support for PC and MAC. There are iPhone, iTouch, iPad and Blackberry apps but these only allow you to observe backed up files, not actually backup the iPhone, etc.. You can attach files from the backup set in emails. An unlimited amount of devices – MAC or PC – can be backed up. Limitations Network letters and removable media cannot be backed up There is no block level incremental backup ability Carbonite is a Pc and MAC backup program, so it does not archive server databases such as SQL server, Exchange server. Open or locked files cannot be backed up until they are no longer in use. Carbonite is not a disaster recovery tool. No proxy server support. File Sharing and Collaboration Files and folders can be shared privately via the web portal and unique access permissions can be configured on specific files and folders. Carbonite does not support public file sharing or file collaboration. Synchronization Loads of PCs can be synced with each other and with the central web site. Web 2.0 Integration None currently. Customer Support Telephone support is available for an additional cost of $19.99 per year. Below is a list of the free support offered: - Live Chat - Email Support / Email web form - Online Documentation, FAQs and knowledge-base - Blog In addition there is a free 15 day trial available. Ease Of Use Carbonite is woderfully easy to install and run, just download the client installer and run it. There is audio commentary that explains the entire procedure and you will start backing up your information in minutes. The half month - no credit card required - free trial means zero risk in trying Carbonite out. Once configured all you need to do is right-click on a file or folder to add it to your archive. Cost Initial setup Cost - Free 15 day trial Monthly charge - Not applicable Yearly Charge - $54.99 Initial allowed storage amount - unlimited Cost of additional storage - no charge Cost of additional devices / PCs / users - Unlimited device but one account per user Referral Program - 3 months free subscription for each referral that signs up after their free trial E-billing facility - yes There are no commercial service plans available, but, there is a pro verion of Carbonite available at http://www.carbonitepro.com which is designed for commercial use. Hidden cost: Telephone support costs $19.99 per annum. Conclusion Carbonite offers a simple secure ability to archive your data from either PCs or MACs. The unlimited storage for a fixed price allows for budgeting and takes away the requirement to constantly note how much information you are archiving. The Carbonite Online Backup service is very safe and the support is very good. If you are looking for a straightforward archive solution then this is a really good choice. The lack of file sharing, synchronization and collaboration is a definite gap in the product but if you do not need these features then this is a really excellent product.
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