Backblaze Review

Backblaze Offer Code

Retail Price for 1 Year:	$60.00
1 Year Plan Savings (16%):	$10.00
Your Price for 1 Year:	$50.00
Retail Price for 2 Years:	$120.00
2 Year Plan Savings (20%):	$25.00
Your Price for 2 Years:	$95.00

 

Backblaze is backup software that “just works”. With the recently released version two of their award winning backup software and they have made many improvements on what was already an excellent service.

Installation
Easy to use is just as important with installation as it is with day to day use with Backblaze. Installation starts by visiting the new Backblaze. By entering your name and email to create your account you can then start your free trial and download the installation executable file for your computer. Depending on what operating system and web browser you are using you may have to download the file and then open the folder where the installation file is located. If you are using Windows and Internet Explorer you should be able to simply select RUN after the file is downloaded and the installation on your computer begins.

Once the installation starts you will be prompted to accept the license agreement. After you click Install Now to agree the Backblaze installation will begin by installing the necessary files on your computer for the Backclaze client software to run.

Backblaze will begin analysing your hard drive and data during install. Depending on how large your hard drives are this can take a few minutes. When this phase is complete you will be presented with a install complete scene and a summary of the files Backblaze found for backup and your initial backup will begin.

Backing Up
One of the things that makes Backblaze so easy to use is their unique backup method. Most backup services backup only what you tell them to backup, or what is in their specified backup sets. Backblaze is different, it defaults to backing up all your files. The only exceptions are your operating system files. Previous versions of Backblaze also excluded some other files like ISO files, but with version 2 that restriction has been removed.

There are some backup preferences to check in version 2 of Backblaze to improve performance under Settings. First double check that Backblaze has found all of your hard drives for backup. Backblaze supports external hard drives as well as internal hard drives so it is always good to check that all your hard drives have been found or unselect a hard drive if you do not want it backed up.

Under the Settings Performances tab you can choose to allow Backblaze to automatically throttle your data connection or to manually select it. Automatic throttle should be good enough for most people but if you find your Internet is slowing down you might want to select manual throttle and select your own settings.

Backblaze defaults to backing up your data continuously, and this a usually a good setting, but again if you want more control you can set it to backup on a schedule.

The Settings Exclusions tab is important to check after installing Backblaze. While most people might not need to exclude any other files from their backup this tab does have a crucial setting. Backblaze comes with default to backup file that are under 4GB. Files larger than that will be ignored. This can be set to a higher size or to an unlimited size, but it is important to note that the default is still set to 4GB and you should go in and set this higher.

Backblaze allows users to set their own encryption key if they desire. Backblaze will encrypt all your data before sending it to their servers. If you use your own encryption key it is very important you do not lose it or you will not be able to decrypt your data without it.

The other remaining settings tabs are a listing of files awaiting backup, reports and event log. Useful for checking the status of your backup, or if you need to contact support.

Restoring
You can start a Backblaze restore feom either the desktop client or through the web admin interface. If you do start your restore from the desktop client you will actually be redirected to the web admin. There is no direct restore via the desktop client.

Once at the web admin you can choose if you would like to download your files over the Internet or have them put on a USB flash drive or an external hard drive to be sent to you for an additional charge. If you only need a small set of files you can easily download them. If you need to restore all of your files the cost of a USB flash drive or external hard drive restore would be worth the extra money to save you time. Backblaze is one of only a few companies that offer a USB flash drive or external hard drive restore.

Navigating the web admin to selct your files and starting your restore over the web is fairly simple. Once you have selected your files you will have to wait for the files to be retrieved and added to a zip file for download. My test restore was just over 5GB and it took just over 15 minutes for it to be ready. They will email you to let you know when the download file is ready.

It would be nice if there was a way to download files more directly either through the desktop client or a virtual local drive. The restore process is perhaps the hardest part of Backblaze, but probably still managable for most users.

Other Features
Locate Computer – There are many stories on the Internet of online backup users using information from their online backup service to help locate their stolen computer. Backblaze is the only company that has made it into an easy to use feature. If your computer is stolen you can use the information from the Backblaze web admin to help locate your computer to give the correct information to the police.

Overall
Backblaze makes it easy to backup your files and keep your data safe. It is one of those applications that “just works”. The majority of users will have no problem setting up the service and even though the restore process could be easier it is simple enough that the majority of users should have no problem with it. Backblaze offers an excellent service at a very affordable price. For those people that just want a backup service and don’t want to worry about whether they set everything up properly Backblaze delivers. They prove that backup can be easy.