CrashPlan

Avantages

I have been using CrashPlan for many years. I used to use it for personal use, but now I use it for business use. Because I work remotely, I keep a large collection of our graphics/code files on my computer. I don't have access to a work server to keep them on, and I was always concerned about what would happen if I were robbed, or some sort of disaster happened to my home, that wiped out my computer and my local backups. CrashPlan gives me peace of mind, that my files are backed up somewhere safe.

I evaluated other products, before choosing CrashPlan, and for me, CrashPlan was the winner for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason, was that if I had a computer with a smaller hard drive, and had to work off of an external hard drive for some things, CrashPlan also backed up that external hard drive to their system, as long as it was plugged into my computer. Not all backup software will do this. I also love it, because it works well on my Mac, and isn't just targeted at PC users.

Inconvénients

Sometimes the messages that you get about backups can be misleading. It will say that you have a certain amount set for backup, and sometimes it will be a number that seems really low. Every time I have looked into this with support, it has turned out that the correct amount WAS set for backup, but I believe the email went out mid backup, and therefore gave a misleading message. Sometimes that can be a little alarming, even though there was never a true issue.

The initial backup can be very slow ... like months, in my case! If I ever had to restore everything, I am sure it would take a crazy amount of time, so I would have to opt for the option where you pay to have a full hard drive mailed to you, which isn't cheap. Better than losing all your files though! That is why I also keep a local backup.

Avantages

CrashPlan is really easy to use. I love using it because I can backup to another computer for FREE! The only part of the app that is pay is if you want to backup the the Code42 cloud. If you don't use the cloud, you get easy & free backups! The versioning is also really nice. We can restore a file from any point along it's life. CrashPlan is used to backup our general file server, our email server, and our SQL database dumps. I can centrally restore any file from any server from my location. We migrated to CrashPlan from Windows Backup. It took a lot of overhead out of our backup procedure. CrashPlan has also saved our files from Virus' on a few occasions. With the outbreak of Ransomware, CrashPlan really helps save our files from being encrypted.

Inconvénients

CrashPlan is written in Java, which means, it's pretty much the only reason I have Java installed. Supposedly, a non-Java client is coming, but who knows when or if that will happen. It is also _really_ difficult to manage on a headless server. You basically have to create a SSH tunnel, then from a separate computer 'fake' out that installation of CrashPlan into thinking it needs to connect through the SSH tunnel. Done properly, your desktop CrashPlan will connect to the CrashPlan backend on the headless server. It would be really nice to be able to manage a headless server without any SSH tunneling, or port forwarding, or any of that.

Avantages

Installing, maintaining, and updating the PROe server is trivial on both Debian Linux and OS X. (One-click updates directly from the administrative console would be a nice addition, since locating update files on the Code42 site is not as quick as it perhaps should be, but that's a minor nuisance).

Likewise, installing and configuring clients is fast and easy, and once the client software is installed on a workstation, the administrative console allows control of all client settings, saving legwork. Client access can be restricted to ensure that backups are not interrupted, and CrashPlan PROe has a complete set of legal hold tools available in a separate administrative interface should your organization require them.

The client is lightweight and offers good granular control over bandwidth use. The server is extremely flexible, allowing any number of storage points on any number of running servers, even across server platforms, and the CrashPlan architecture further allows any client to be delegated as a storage point for other clients, in the case of, for instance, a satellite office scenario, disaster recovery, or server maintenance.

Inconvénients

The only real operating nuisance I've encountered is browser incompatibility with the otherwise lovely administrative console, which does not scale properly for Mobile Safari, and which presents a baffling "server disconnect" message on Safari for OS X. On the desktop, one can simply use Firefox or Chrome, but a proper mobile Safari theme--or even the ability to permanently eliminate the client download prompt when accessing the console from a mobile browser--would be a huge improvement for those of us who do an increasing amount of our admin tasks from our mobile devices.

The ugly is that this wonderfully designed, private cloud backup system, which was once my first choice for small business clients, is now available only in packages of 25 licenses and up. Not only does this make no sense from a supply side—Code42 incurs no storage or infrastructure overhead from private cloud backup, so one would think they would prefer to sell these licenses—but it arbitrarily shuts out small businesses from a product which is otherwise perfect for the small business use case, forcing these businesses, often creative firms which generate multiple gigabytes of new data each hour, to rely on Code42's public cloud product (try uploading 2 terabytes on virtually any broadband connection in the US) or, more realistically, to look elsewhere for onsite backup solutions.

I used to recommend CrashPlan PROe to all my small business clients. I can no longer do so, not because the product is not excellent—it is—but because Code42 literally will not sell it to them if they can't buy 25 or more licenses. The mind boggles at whatever bean-counterish logic led to this decision, which both locks small businesses out of an otherwise ideal product for their needs, and amounts to Code42 throwing away all potential revenue from those in the small business sector who cannot rely on public cloud backup alone.

I'd encourage small businesses and consultants working with small business to contact Code42 anyway, and put some pressure on them to revise this policy. CrashPlan PROe is otherwise as close to a perfect product as I have seen in the last ten years of IT, and it is simply foolish to refuse to sell it because a client has a smaller budget or smaller needs.

Avantages

It runs continuously in the background to ensure that the files selected are backed up.
The Crashplan client automatically backs up to ensure that customers are using the very latest client and are not in danger of security leaks.

The Crashplan client is cross-platform and will run on Linux and Mac

Inconvénients

Code42 appears to have removed their plan for standard household users and now only has plans for small and large businesses. Unfortunate for the average household computer user.

When I used Crashplan for backup in Beijing, China, the upload speeds were horrendously slow. I assume this was not the fault of Crashplan, but the result of serious Internet throttling by the internet provider or by state security apparatus in China where all connections to the outside world are severely curtailed. Backing up 200gb of data took nearly half a year. But my experience was likely unusual.

Based on other user reports of Crashplan, the upload and download speeds are quite good.

Avantages

This was the best and lowest cost backup tool on the market...when the Home product was available. In August of 2017 Code42 shifted away from Home and is focusing on enterprise and small business. The Home product was AMAZING. It backed up quickly, offered unlimited storage, and allowed you to backup multiple computers at the same time. Plus you could back up to other friend/family's computers to avoid having to pay for the service at all. This had everything a home user could want and at an amazing price. NOTHING came close. And I mean NOTHING!

Inconvénients

Unfortunately, Code42 has left the Home market and is focusing on enterprise and small business. For those two segments, this is a great product, but I feel like dropping the Home market is a disservice to their existing Home user base. They should have allowed existing customers to continue forward with their Home product and Home product pricing. I get that they want to change their focus, but moving away will really hurt. That's a bad thing, but it speaks to the excellence of their Home product.