Backblaze

$50 per year (per PC) www.backblaze.com One OF the hardest tasks for anyone to complete is a regular, full backup of all your files. Backblaze is a service that does this for you and makes the whole process fairly quick and effortless. When you need to restore a file or any part of your backup you can download a Zip file, or receive the restored files on a USB drive or external hard drive up to 4TB. The latter options come with a cost that’s refunded when the drives are returned.

Backblaze offers a free 15- day trial, so you can make sure you’re happy with the service in terms of backup and recovery before committing and paying for a subscription. The software is incredibly easy to use and you can access files and settings within the desktop app and the browser-based login to your account. The interface for the software is simple to navigate, and default settings work well and will probably be left as they are by most users. it works seamlessly in the background updating files as they change or are added, so you really don’t need to do anything apart from check that the app is backing up every now and again.

One interesting feature is that you can share links to backed- up files, which takes us into the realm of dropbox, Google drive and Onedrive. This service isn’t turned on by default and it’s worth noting that you have to pay additional fees for B2 Cloud Storage – the total amount depends on a number of factors. The first 10GB of storage is free though, with unlimited free uploads and 1GB of free downloads per day so this is pretty good for those who don’t need to deal with vast volumes of data.

This service takes all of the effort out of complete computer backups and provides an easy-to- use service at a reasonable cost to the user. restoring files has been made a simple process whichever option you select, although for a UK-based customer requesting a hard drive of a backup, this could turn out to be an expensive option. That said, a download is probably suitable for most people. The great price and simplicity make this a strong option for a full backup and it thoroughly deserves high praise and its Gold Award.