Product Overview

Carbonite are based in Boston, MA and they launched their online backup service in May 2006. Currently backup and protect 2.5 billion files to customers in over 100 countries. Founded in 2005 by David Friend and Jeff Flowers.

Carbonite is a simple, safe online backup service for casual home computer users, students, home office users, business travelers, etc. For less than five dollars a month, Carbonite will back up all the irreplaceable data on your computer (digital photos, music, office documents, and other valuable files) whenever your computer is connected to the Internet.

Carbonite is very easy to set up and use, requiring little or no ongoing user involvement. Our service is always on and continually backing up files on your computer whenever it is connected to the Internet.

Feature Set

Security

Carbonite security is very good. Traffic too and from their servers is encrypted with triple DES – which is very secure – and once on their servers your data is protected using Blowfish 448bit encryption – it gets no better than that.

Physically your data is stored on 2 state-of-the-art facilities in Massachusetts that provide carefully temperature-controlled rooms, backup generators, restricted personnel access, and other features to protect the security and integrity of your data.

Backup Features

By default Carbonite backs up your My Documents and Settings folders but this can easily be changed using the desktop software. There is no limit to the amount of data that can be backed up, so you can choose as many or as few folders as you want.

Backups start when your PC is idle, so there is no drain on resources or bandwidth. Alternatively, you can set the backup scheduller to backup as frequently as you wish.

Carbonite does not support backup of network or external drives.

In our tests it took us just over 4 hours to upload 2Gb of data on a standard 8mbps ADSL line while uploading and downloading other data.

Carbonite provides a continuous backup facility which means that files are backed up as they are changed. This means you no longer need to rely on scheduling backups and making sure your PC is on when the scheduled time comes. However, if scheduling is what you want, the PC client does have that option too.

A process indicator and status notifications are available. You can also add files and folders to the backup set by right-clicking.

The Carbonite client provides a virtual drive where you can see which files have been backed up and which are currently pending backup. The client also adds colored dots to 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 also no restrictions on the size or individual files or the amount of data that you backup. However, it is important to remember that the initial backup time required is MUCH greater than that needed once you are up and running.

Restore Features

File restores can be initiated from either the client or the web portal and can be restored to either their original location, another location on the client they came from or to the web portal. On the PC client, restores can also be initiated by right-clicking a file or folder. There is also a search option so you can look for files to restore that match a specific filename or filename pattern.

Control and Analysis

The desktop software allows you to control the bandwidth and speed of backups.

Backup reporting and analysis is available via backup logs that are generated for each job.

Interface

To use Carbonite you must install client software on each device that is to be backed up. However, once installed, all backups can be managed from a central admin portal.

Multiple devices can be managed under a single account, however, multi account management is not supported. Once the software is installed on a client, it allows access to a virtual drive which can be used to view the status of backed up files and to restore files. The system tray icon starts off yellow – this indicates that the initial backup is underway. Once the initial backup is completed, the tray icon turns green.

The desktop software is uncluttered and simple to use. The online portal is similarly straight-forward. The software is designed to be set-and-forget so the interfaces are not bogged down with lots of options but rather are designed to let you choose what and when you want to backup and then leave the program to get on with it.

Device Support

There is support for PC and MAC. There is an iPhone, iTouch, iPad and Blackberry app but this only allows you to view backup up files, not actually backup your iPhone. You can attach files from the backup set in emails.

There is no limit to the amount of computers – MAC or PC – that can be backed up.

Limitations

• Network drives and removable media cannot be backed up
• There is no block level incremental backup ability
• Carbonite is a client backup solution, so it does not backup server databases such as SQL server, Exchange server,
• Open or locked files cannot be backed up.
• Whole machine backup is not supported.
• Proxy server support is not available.
• No public file sharing or collaboration features.

File Sharing and Collaboration

Files and folders can be shared privately via the web portal and different access rights can be set on individual files and folders. Public file sharing is not available and file collaboration is not supported.

Synchronisation

Multiple devices can be synchronized with each other and with the central web portal.

Web 2.0 Integration

Not supported.

Pricing

Carbonite offers a single package as detailed below:

Plan	Personal
Initial setup	free 15 day trial
Cost – Monthly	n/a
Cost – Yearly	1 year - $54.99 2 years - $99.99
Initial allowed storage amount	unlimited
Cost of additional storage	n/a
Cost of additional devices / PCs / users	unlimited devices but only 1 user per account
Referral Program
E-billing facility

There are no corporate plans available, however, there is a professional verion of Carbonite available at http://www.carbonitepro.com which is designed for Business use.

Hidden cost: Telephone support costs $19.99 per year.

Ease Of Use

Carbonite is extremely easy to setup and use, simply download the client installer and run it. There is audio commentary that talks you through the whole process and you can start backing up your files in minutes. The 15 day - no credit card required - trial means there is no risk in trying Carbonite out. Once installed all you need to do is right-click on a file or folder to add it to your backup.

Screenshots

Customer Support

Telephone support is available for an additional charge of $19.99 per year. Free support includes a live chat facility, email support, good documentation, excellent FAQ and knowledgtebase sections and tutorials and a quite lively blog. Response to emails is swift and friendly.

A free 15 day trial is also available so you can try before you buy.

Summary

Carbonite offers a simple secure way to backup your files from either PCs or MACs. The unlimited storage for a fixed price allows for easy budgeting and removes the need to constantly monitor how much data you are backing up. The service is very secure and the support is solid. If you are looking for a straight-forward backup solution then this is a very 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.