Looking for an online backup solution

[Mira Yurizaki]

I'm in the market for an online/offsite backup solution, since I let my Office 365 subscription lapse. I'll be storing zipped up files of things I want to back up. Not all of them in one zip file, but in chunks. This is mostly to minimize transfer time. The total amount of data I plan on backing up is less than 50GB or so

 

So here's my requirements or things I prefer:

• At least 100GB of storage.
• A local app I can run, i.e., I don't have to use an internet browser to perform any transfers.
• A generous enough data retention (let's say at least 90 days) if I stop paying for the service

Yes, that's about it. Here are the things I don't really demand:

• Server side encryption. It's nice to have, but I can also send the server an encrypted 7zip file.
• Application suite integration, like Google and Microsoft have their office apps.
• Cross-platform integration on any device. This is for backup only. I don't care about accessing my files on my phone or tablet for instance.

So the platforms I'm considering and why:

• Google Drive
  • I'm pretty much shoulder deep in the Google ecosystem
  • They have a 100GB plan for $2/mo
• Amazon Cloud Storage
  • It's the cheapest
• Microsoft OneDrive
  • Has a cheaper 1TB plan, but I don't really need that amount of storage
  • I consider my Google account to be the most public one, and so having my data tied to a not as public account helps me sleep better at night. Or something
• CrashPlan
  • It's an actual backup solution!
  • It has encryption!
  • I do like it's a zero-knowledge solution

... So I guess I'm leaning mostly on CrashPlan. Anyone else have something to bring to the table?

Edited July 19, 2017 by M.Yurizaki

[Zando_]

No Dropbox?

[Anghammarad]

Backblaze?

[Mira Yurizaki]

7 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

No Dropbox?

For the purposes of my needs, anything Dropbox does, the other ones I've listed do as good if not better. Keep in mind I only need a place to stash files. I don't need a system to sync my files on my computers. That's what my NAS is for.

 

The other thing that turned me off is Dropbox had a poor reputation on BBB until a few weeks ago.

 

2 minutes ago, Anghammarad said:

Backblaze?

Any reason why I should consider them?

[Anghammarad]

Online Backup, if needed they send a copy of your files on a HDD to you... and the storinators often shown in LTT videos as storage devices are originally from backblaze, who give out their plans and cad designs of their storage pods for free.

[Mira Yurizaki]

3 minutes ago, Anghammarad said:

Online Backup, if needed they send a copy of your files on a HDD to you... and the storinators often shown in LTT videos as storage devices are originally from backblaze, who give out their plans and cad designs of their storage pods for free.

While that sounds nice, it doesn't make sense for me to give much weight considering the amount of data I plan on backing up (it's less than 50GB or so). Essentially sneakernet would be slower.

 

I guess I should add that to my OP.

[Quixotic.Estate]

AWS S3 and Cyberduck2

[NinJake]

Do you use Win10 as your daily driver OS?

[Mira Yurizaki]

6 minutes ago, NinJake said:

Do you use Win10 as your daily driver OS?

I do, but OS should not matter.

[Quixotic.Estate]

9 minutes ago, Quixotic.Estate said:

AWS S3 and Cyberduck2

For just storing the files it would cost around $2.18 a month.

Transfer acceleration works awesome for me. I get considerably shorter transfer times. (10-20% reduction)

Encryption

Pay only for what you use.

Cold storage options are even cheaper and you can set up life cycles from S3 to move to Glacier.

Choose the region closest to you.

Cyberduck is free. Works great.

 

For versatility,  and considering scalability for your future data. AWS is the way to go.

[AT0MAC]

Backblaze have really good upload speed, thats a thing to consider so it dont take forever to put your chunks of data there.

Also their total open source way of building a business is something to honor, and their B2 plans for non-volatile long term storage needs, as in backups for a very low cost.

 

I use them myself and am really happy with them!

I have used Google, Dropbox, Amazon Glacier, Microsoft OneDrive and Crahsplan and dont like any of their software solutions, OneDrive tough is probably the easiest but the rest is a little chunky on the software side. For BackBlaze you choose your own software, there are multiple clients for various OS supported, kind of like Amazon Glacier, but in my opinion way easier to figure out at BackBlace.

 

I recommend BackBlaze, does that not count for something?

[Quixotic.Estate]

1 minute ago, Quixotic.Estate said:

For just storing the files it would cost around $2.18 a month.

Transfer acceleration works awesome for me. I get considerably shorter transfer times. (10-20% reduction)

Encryption

Pay only for what you use.

Cold storage options are even cheaper and you can set up life cycles from S3 to move to Glacier.

Choose the region closest to you.

Cyberduck is free. Works great.

 

For versatility,  and considering scalability for your future data. AWS is the way to go.

Also they have a free tier for 12 months If you want to try it. No obligation... I believe the data cap is 5gb. 

[NinJake]

4 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

I do, but OS should not matter.

The only reason I asked is due to Onedrive being incorporated in Explorer these days. I would opt for that, but if for some reason you want something else, CrashPlan looks the most promising. But as you only require 50-100gb, I think Onedrive would be fine.

[Quixotic.Estate]

1 minute ago, AT0MAC said:

Backblaze have really good upload speed, thats a thing to consider so it dont take forever to put your chunks of data there.

Also their total open source way of building a business is something to honor, and their B2 plans for non-volatile long term storage needs, as in backups for a very low cost.

 

I use them myself and am really happy with them!

I have used Google, Dropbox, Amazon Glacier, Microsoft OneDrive and Crahsplan and dont like any of their software solutions, OneDrive tough is probably the easiest but the rest is a little chunky on the software side. For BackBlaze you choose your own software, there are multiple clients for various OS supported, kind of like Amazon Glacier, but in my opinion way easier to figure out at BackBlace.

 

I recommend BackBlaze, does that not count for something?

Yeah, AWS isn't crazy simple to set up... That's for sure. 

 

I've suffered massive critical data loss before.

The online backup service I chose really dropped the ball when I needed it most. Nearly lost my company.

 

Going with the biggest player in the game can't hurt IMO.

 

Ultimately its who you trust.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 hour ago, Quixotic.Estate said:

For just storing the files it would cost around $2.18 a month.

Transfer acceleration works awesome for me. I get considerably shorter transfer times. (10-20% reduction)

Encryption

Pay only for what you use.

Cold storage options are even cheaper and you can set up life cycles from S3 to move to Glacier.

Choose the region closest to you.

Cyberduck is free. Works great.

 

For versatility,  and considering scalability for your future data. AWS is the way to go.

While I appreciate the suggestion, it looks way too complicated to setup and it appears to be geared towards businesses rather than personal or home use.