asiaflux.com Blog

In the July edition of Hardware Magazine, Carbonite has been reviewed tops in a shootout with other prominent Backup providers like SOS, Bullguard and Mozy. You can see more at http://www.asiaflux.com/files/carbonite_folder/Carbonite_Reviews.html

Both Carbonite and Mozy were ranked highly amongst the four contenders in terms of ease of use and performance but Carbonite had the added strengths of fast restoration as well as comprehensive support.

Hardware Magazine also put in their 2 cents worth of inputs on the subject of backing up our valuable data. They felt that existing backup methods like CDs and DVDs or portable Hard drives are not entirely risk free and for scenarios like disasters, it might be best to use remote backup tools like Online Backup services to reduce the risk of total loss of our valuable data.

To celebrate this, we at AsiaFlux Networks would like to extend our offer to all.

Please go to www.carbonite.com.sg and use the offer code: asiaflux to get a 30 day free trial of Carbonite Online Backup. After the trial, if you like the service, use the same Offer Code: asiaflux and you will get 2 extra free months with your annual subscription.

The leading Online Backup Service, Carbonite has officially appointed AsiaFlux Networks as its Singapore Distributor with immediate effect. Over here at AsiaFlux, we are excited to be associated with Carbonite.

We have signed up Challenger IT Stores and they are now stocking Carbonite boxed sets in all their 8 stores. Currently, Carbonite is the only purely Online Backup Service available in boxed sets in Singapore.

I would like to take a moment to clarify that Tivoli Backup Service which is also available in many IT stores is not an Online Backup Service, but rather a Backup Management Software. You need to have an external backup media like a HDD or multi-GigaByte flash drive for it to back up files to. Looking at the specifications and features of Tivoli, it is not too bad a software but unlike Online Backup, there is always the danger of losing your external storage media and all your precious files through theft or damage, accidents or fire.

On a related matter, Hardware Magazine will be doing a shootout test of 4 Online Backup Services; Carbonite, Mozy, SOS and Bullguard. Look out for it in this month’s issue. Do take the time to read the review. You will find it interesting.

In the next couple of months, you will see more reviews of Carbonite done in the various papaers and magazines. Seems that more and more people are starting to recognise the value of Online Backup and the service it offers in protecting valuable personal data.

If you think about it, Online Backup Service is like what Anti-Virus software was a few years back. People either did not recognise its value or they felt that it was not necessary and that events like data loss through storage media damage, theft, accidents etc would never happen to them.

But the truth of the matter is that like what I stated in my previous post, hard disk failure happens more often then we think. And backing up regularly to an external HDD or flash drive is dependent on our remembering to do so. And the worst thing is that very frequently, many of us carry our HDD with us. If our laptop bag were to be stolen (750,000 notebooks are stolen every year worldwide), everything is gone!

On a celebratory note, we at AsiaFlux would like to extend an offer to everyone in Singapore.

For a FREE 30 days trial, go to www.carbonite.com.sg and key in Offer Code: asiaflux

If after the trial period is over and you find Carbonite good, use the same Offer Code: asiaflux and you will get an additional 2 months FREE with your paid yearly subscription.

Why take the risk when you can have peace of mind for less than the price of a McDonalds Value Meal a month.

AsiaFlux Networks has just secured a distributorship for Carbonite Online Backup in Singapore. Star War fans will remember Carbonite as the stuff that Hans Solo was deep frozen in. Carbonite similarly deep freezes your data in its storage servers until you restore or retrieve it.

What are the advantages of Carbonite?

Carboniteâ„¢ is an Internet-based Backup for Everyoneâ„¢.

It is the simplest, least-expensive, and first service to make secure, offsite backup affordable and effortless for the average consumer. Installation takes less than two minutes and Online PCBackup requires little or no ongoing user involvement a truly set and forget service. Integrated with Microsoft Windows® Explorer, Carbonite does not require users to learn a new interface.

Data Backup Features

Unlimited storage capacity
Two-click Setup – nothing new to learn
· Automatically finds all your data files photos, documents, music, emails, everything

· Instantly detects and backs up changed files

· Set and forget – your backup is automatically updated with new and changed files

· Always on whenever and wherever you’re connected to the Internet

· Never slows down your computer or Internet connection

· Strong encryption – all files are encrypted with 1024 bit Blowfish key before they ever leave your computer

· Exclude files you don t want to back up

· Backs up 2GB per day over a typical high-speed (DSL or Cable) Internet connection

· Restore 10-15GB per day

Do you know………?
- 75,000 laptops are stolen annually worldwide

- 63% of people backup less than once a month

- 23% never backup at all

- 79% of computer users rate their data as ‘valuable’

- 40% rate it as ‘priceless’

“Your DATA is your LIFE! Protect it!�

There are four important considerations when deciding how to backup your data:

Time & Hassle — If you have to think about backups, you probably won’t ever get around to doing them. That’s why only 2% of home PCs are backed up regularly. With Carbonite, you download our software, set and forget.

Cost — If you backed up your PC daily to CDs, you’d go through hundreds of dollars worth of CDs a year. Outboard hard drives cost $150 and up. Traditional online backup services cost at least $100 per year and offer only limited capacity. Carbonite offers unlimited storage capacity for just a few dollars per month.

Peace of Mind — Are all of the data you care about protected from theft, fire, flood, and other natural disasters? With Carbonite, you know for sure that data you’ve lost can be recovered. And because Carbonite is always on, continuously detecting new data and changes to existing files on your PC, you never have to worry.

Security — With Carbonite, nothing leaves your PC unless it is encrypted twice – once with your encryption key and again as it travels over the Internet. When you register, you create a user ID and password and only you will be able to unlock the encrypted files stored by Carbonite. You can also rest assured that Carbonite won’t share any information about you or your data with advertisers or other third parties.

A note on CD backups: some people wrongly assume that backing up files to CD offers a permanent solution. However, the nature of chemicals used to manufacture recordable CDs gives them much shorter lifespan than store-bought albums. In fact, even recordable CDs that are stored in dark, temperature-controlled rooms usually won’t last longer than a few years!

Anyone interested in trying out Carbonite can go to www.carbonite.com.sg.

Key in the Offer Code: ehub and you can get a 30 days free trial.

We are all flowing with the Digital Tide. Our mobile devices like 2 Megapixel camera-equipped mobile phones, Ipods, ultra-portable notebooks, video-cams all generate tons of data everyday. The PC is the center of all this data deluge. We store photos, videos, MP3s, work related files, school work, thesis, projects, PPTs in our PC. But do we back it up?

Ask your self this question. What would your feelings be if you were to lose all the data in your PC; whether from having it stolen, dropped from your airplane overhead compartment, house got broken into, severe virus attack, HDD decided it had enough of abuse and slipped off into HDD heaven, fire, natural disaster etc etc?

After the stunning discovery of the loss, how much would you pay to be able to retrieve all your files? Those precious family or baby photos, MP3 collection, holiday videos, work files (including the ALL important project that you need to submit to your boss in 2 days time), school research work. After almost every incidence of data loss, the general admission from the victims is that the files were irreplaceable. I should know. It happened to me twice. Yes, twice. Now I know better.
I did a little research and found the following interesting facts:

• 750,000 laptops get stolen worldwide annually
• There are 200 million broadband connected PCs that are not backed up regularly (defined as at least once a week)
• By 2010, that figure would have ballooned to 400 million
• 63% of people back up less than once a month
• 23% of people do not backup at all
• Experts acknowledge that backups onto CDs, DVDs, Tape or External HDDs are not good enough unless the backup media are kept well offsite. A natural disaster like the 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina or major earthquake would render such backups useless
• More than 60% of people who own External HDDs do not back up their files regularly, either through laziness, forgetfulness or lack of time

There are a variety of ways to backup our valuable data. I’ll write more in the next few days.