Before you download one holiday picture, consider this.
(Long Island, N.Y.) I’ve always been a big believer in the importance of backing up your computer. For a while, I was diligent and dutifully made copies of all my important files on CD’s. Smart move, but major time suck. Then, like many things I know I ought to do, I got lazy and fell really behind. I kept planning to back it all up but the task landed out on my long list.
When a writer-friend said she lost an entire novel from a computer virus, I started to get worried about my own computer contents and decided it’s time to catch up. Not only do I do most of my business online, my computer is packed with priceless files—hundreds of pictures and videos of my children. Every holiday, every birthday. A loss like that would be life-changing.
That same writer-friend who took a devastating digital blow (yes, practically an entire novel!) said she found what she thought to be the best way to backup your computer: Carbonite. Her selling point: You just set it and forget it. Kind of like that Rotisserie commercial!
Carbonite, she explained, automatically and securely backs up the irreplaceable contents of your computer. And I must say, for what you’re protecting—it’s pretty affordable; $49.95 per year no matter how much stuff you need to back up. So I took the free trail offer and after a week, decided to give it a whirl. I paid for the year, unsure if it was money well spent.
Carbonite launched its Online Backup service in May 2006. Carbonite’s industry-first offer of unlimited backup space for a flat low price revolutionized the market for consumer and small business backup services. So far, the company has backed up more than 4 billion files, has restored more than 300 million lost files for its customers and has a large data center where capacity is measured in petabytes. There are Carbonite users in more than 120 countries.
Founded in 2005, Carbonite believes that computer users should not have to think about backup. The company’s mission is to provide an affordable, reliable, secure and easy-to-use solution for the mainstream computer user. Carbonite is available to consumers and small businesses through numerous channels, including its corporate Web site, major US retailers and international distributors.
Now, in theory, it sounds like a perfect backup plan. You don’t have to remember a thing or be super-tech savvy to get it rolling. It quietly backs up all your files on its own after you sign up and follow the set-up wizard’s directions. I felt secure knowing that all my music downloads, financial records, emails, were all getting safety stored somewhere in cyberspace and available if I need them.
Again, it sounds like the perfect plan—so long as it worked. When it comes to devastating data loss, experts can’t stress it enough: It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when. I knew that and I worried about the day I’d need to see if Carbonite does what it promises.
So a few months ago, I was on the phone with tech-support when my computer wouldn’t load. He guided me through a few diagnostic tests, paused and cleared his throat.
“Mrs. Mascarella,” he said, “Is your computer backed up?” Gulp. My heart sank.
He broke the news that my computer had a virus and I lost everything. Yes—everything. My precious pictures, my ITunes, my articles, my contracts, videos, emails. Whoa. I needed to sit down because the room was spinning. Once he got my computer up and running again, I sat there staring at the screen—completely devoid of any files.
I headed off to Carbonite.com with my password and sick feeling in my stomach…praying. So, I followed their instructions to restore my files and went grocery shopping, trusting it would just do its thing. Hours later, I returned to my computer—behold—my files—they’re ba-a-a-ck! What a sigh of relief! I seriously thanked my lucky stars and wanted to give Carbonite’s CEO a big hug. (I’m cheesy like that!)
I’m now considering buying subscriptions for some of my family and friend for holiday gifts. My dad would be totally devastated if he lost all the pictures of his grandchildren—all 3,000 of them, I kid you not! He doesn’t have a clue how to backup and because getting started is so easy, it’s the perfect present for him and maybe a few friends on my list that I know don’t have a good backup plan. Friends don’t let friends let their data just go down the drain. Just a pre-holiday tip: if you want to head off a major meltdown, head to www.carbonite.com
