Carbonite Online Backup

Scott Pollak · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008, 16:01 (GMT) Post subject: Carbonite Online Backup

This past week my hard drive in my one year old Dell bit the dust. Fortunately, Dell replaced it under warranty. Even more fortunate, though, is that I've been subscribing to Carbonite online backup for the past 6 months or so. I didn't lose one single byte of data and am currently in the mode of automatically restoring the 70+ gb of data that would have otherwise been lost, including thousands of audio files.

If you don't currently have some sort of RELIABLE AUTOMATIC backup system, I'd sure recommend Carbonite. At $49.95/year it's MORE than paid for itself.

If you think you'd like to know more, let me know so I can send you a referral form. You get a month free and I get three months free if you sign up.

Thanks.

David Oxford · **Voice Talent** Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Posts: 505

Scott:

I've thought about possibly using Carbonite and have heard/seen their ads, as well as some of the other similar services. Maybe I'm just a skeptical person (or paranoid a little?) but my main concern about these online backup services is: where is my data really going? Who really HAS it and who else might have access to it? I'm not necessarily talking about someone online being able to hack into it (not impossible, of course.) I'm talking more in the physical realm: where is it and who else might have access to the data? Imagine me setting up a big server network and going into business saying "you can store all your files with my online backup service and only you can access it," all the while, since the server farm is at my house, I can meander through all the data anytime I want - send it to whomever I wish, etc. etc. OK I know that sounds paranoid - but in this day & age, it's not unfathomable. I guess I just still feel better about investing in one of the new generation of external USB or Firewire hard drives and doing regular backups, keeping my data here. The prices for these drives are getting better all the time, too.

Has anyone else had the same misgivings about it or am I on an island about the issue?

David

Roger Baker · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jun 2006 Posts: 46

You're not alone David. Scott, this is my preference... Personally I wouldn't do it. But as I said, that is my preference and I'm not trying to dissuade anyone else from doing it. If they are guaranteeing that your data is safe.... no matter what... that shows me it is probably in more than one place there too. And As David mentioned, who can access it and to what level? Someone can. They own the company and the server. Most of the files I have, it's no big deal if they get trashed. I have 3 different systems at home and anything I really, really want to keep backed-up, I do it myself. Hey... sometimes I can't even count on me. I do stupid things sometimes. Well, probably a lot.

Most files I have on my working computer are just not that important. Anything really important is stored elsewhere and backed up so I know where it is, but never where anyone else has access to it but me. So even if something happened to me, the files I have would probably not mean anything to anyone else either, plus they would probably not have any use for it. So I guess it is for my benefit to reduce any headaches in the future.

As for me?... Important things... A good back up hard drive AND backed up on DVD's locked away in a fire-proof box...... Call me paranoid.... But. I have learned.

Maxine Dunn · **Voice Talent** Joined: 25 Apr 2004 Posts: 675

Oh David and Roger, you are SO not alone!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful posts and I'm right there with ya!

Even though I love the idea of some mysterious, gigantic, server-in-the-sky backing up the obscene amounts of information on my computer, I just don't trust who, or what, has access to that backed-up-information!

And I've chosen not to think of myself as paranoid. I think that although we all tend to trust the internet implicitly, especially when there's that little yellow "padlock" icon down in the lower right hand corner.... I just don't believe that any information that's sent on the internet is 100% secure. Forever. Iron-clad. Never to be compromised. I just don't believe that there's information that "can never be accessed by anyone." Seems rather implausible.....

I love the idea of having a back-up service to secure my information but with everything that's going on in the tech world, I just don't trust the internet implicitly.... yet, anyway.

Thanks David and Roger for your posts that make me feel like I'm not alone in my "careful" management of my computer files.

xox
Max

.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008, 03:40 (GMT) Post subject:

Valid concerns and points, all.

I guess we have to pick our poison, so to speak.
I also use a 180gb external hard drive as backup, but I've had those fail as well.
Carbonite says your data is encrypted so that only you can access it and that may or may not be be true.

For me the VAST majority of what I have stored there is not super-sensitive. It's things like graphics, audio files, documents, etc.

But let me ask you this... can someone not also hack into YOUR computer and get the data too? Yes, even with McAfee, Norton AntiVirus and firewalls. Especially with wi-fi now.

And do you ever purchase anything online using your credit card?

How about stolen identity? (It's happened to me in the last year. My wife now uses LifeLock and I use credit protection services from Equifax.)

The point is: There simply is no 100% safe option. No matter what, unless you daily back up your stuff onto, oh say a DVD, then remove that data off your computer where no one can access it online. And Carbonite has a stellar reputation.

Please don't feel any qualms about NOT using it. If you're not comfortable with it, don't use it. For me, it's saved my skin more than once though.