Backblaze is an online backup solution that backs up its customers data and files to the Cloud. Sounds like just about every other online backup provider right? Well, the biggest difference between Backblaze and its competitors is that it offers truly unlimited cloud storage space, and it doesn't sacrifice features for doing so.
Backblaze offers 3 separate plans, catering to individuals, businesses, and large enterprises. Here are the biggest key features that you should know about:
Cold Storage Warehouses in Buffalo, NY. About Search Results. About Search Results. YP - The Real Yellow Pages SM - helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. These factors are similar to those you. Object and File Storage Backblaze B2 is enterprise-grade, S3 compatible storage that companies around the world use to store and serve data while improving their cloud OpEx vs. Amazon S3 and others. Developers use it to easily build apps and manage services. IT leaders use it to backup their organizations with management ease and reliability. So yeah, I'd agree with you. But for anyone prepared to use S3 for anything but cold storage, this is still a lot cheaper. My suggestion would be to use this for cold storage + big cache boxes at a provider with low bandwidth charges. Especially if your 'hot' objects make up a relatively small percentage. Storage Made Easy (SME) provides a multi-cloud content management solution that works with many storage solutions, both on your local network (NAS/SAN) or in the cloud. It utilizes secure file and folder sharing and single-sign-on identity management federation. Storage Made Easy’s File Fabric can be configured with B2 by following the steps below. The Backblaze Storage Pod is just one part of building a cloud storage service. In order to boot the machine you will need to have a software layer. Backblaze uses all free software, Debian and Apache, to connect the pods to our network. Starting at the bottom, there are 45 hard drives connected through SATA controllers.
- Web Download - Sign in from anywhere to easily download a zip file with your data
- Easily backup your MAC or PC into the cloud.
- Unlimited file sizes. Unlimited files. Unlimited speed.
- All data is stored in secured datacenters with 24-hour staff and biometric security.
- All files are encrypted before being transferred over a SSL connection.
Who Should Use Backblaze?
Backblaze has a very simple interface and environment with absolutely no surprises. It is marketed as a dedicated online backup service, and that is exactly what it is. It might not have many fancy features available as the other cloud backup services on the market, but that is because Backblaze wants to keep all its attention solely on backup.
This is the reason it can be used by both personal and business users. If you are a personal user looking for a cloud backup app that does not annoy you too much with emails and sudden pop up on your desktop, then you should give Backblaze a try. It’s a completely automated online backup service which means all you have to do is log in to Backblaze, and it will take care of everything else.
While Backblaze might not have bare metal recovery or image backup, it still attracts business users with its reliable backup and always-running servers.
Backup and Restoration
With all the other cloud backup services, you first have to install them and then select what folders you want to upload, but with Backblaze, you never have to do that.
Since this is a fully automated backup service, it starts scanning and uploading your files to the server as soon as you download its desktop app. Yes, it’s important to download the desktop app to give it the necessary permissions to work in the background and upload files.
You only get one option when it comes to what to download – you can select hard drives. The main drive is selected by default, and you can select or deselect other drives. But apart from that, you cannot select any folder; Backblaze handles it all by itself.
In fact, when you check its desktop app, you will see only three buttons on it – Backup now/ pause backup, settings and restore options. When you go over to the Settings, there are not many options to customize your backup. You can select bandwidth throttle, decide whether you want to backup continuously or only once per day, and you can also exclude certain folders. All the system folders are excluded by default, but if there are some critical documents on your drive that you don’t want to backup, then you can exclude them from here. Remember that you can only exclude and not include certain folders. There is also an option to view logs and reports of the backups created.
Coming to restore options, there are three ways to do that:
- Download from the web app
- Get a 128 GB USB Flash drive mailed
- Get all your files sent in a USB drive
These can prove to be useful when you have several terabytes of data on your Backblaze account. We also have to mention that Backblaze is a genuinely unlimited cloud backup service. You will never receive an email for fair usage nor will you ever face any issues uploading new data. Some cloud backup services claim to provide unlimited backup, but when you finally start using it, you realize there are a hundred clauses linked to the word ‘unlimited.' But trust us when we say that Backblaze is indeed unlimited.
We were mostly impressed by its blazing speeds. Backblaze has default settings; it doesn’t let users play around with it, and that is probably the reason it is one of the top performers when it comes to speed. You can blame it on bandwidth throttling, but we like to believe that it’s because of the powerful software.
The only issue we faced was while backing up data from an external drive. While Backblaze efficiently backs up data from it, users are required to attach their hard drive to their system at least once in 30 days otherwise Backblaze will delete all the data backed up from it. This can be a little difficult for people who travel a lot and do not have all their hard disks with them at all times.
Privacy & Security
Backblaze encrypts data when it’s in transit and when it’s at rest. In transit, when data is being transferred from your computer to its server, data has an SSL/ TLS encryption. And when the data is at rest, the software uses AES encryption to keep it secure.
It also provides local encryption which means your data is encrypted locally on your system before being sent to the server. The user sets the key for the encryption, and this key is never shared or accessed by Backblaze. This gives you an extra security layer to make sure your data is always secure and safe. It has a 128-bit local side encryption and 256-bit server side encryption.
Web & Mobile App
Backblaze Storage Pod 5.0
Backblaze’s web app is as simple as it desktop app. You can view or restore all the backed up files and as a bonus feature, you can also locate your computer through the app. Though what we didn’t like was that there was no option to upload manually files on the web app as well. Backblaze does everything on its own.
Other than that, you can set your encryption key through the web app as well, and you can also manage your subscriptions.
Backblaze does not allow you to backup data from your mobile. And that is probably the reason its mobile app is so plain. At least in the iPhone app, you only get two options – downloads and browse. So, you can either browse all the backed up data, or you can download it, but there is no way to upload data from your phone. The phone app is helpful when you want to view your desktop data when you don’t have it with you.
Pricing and Plans
Backblaze’s simplicity is reflected in its pricing plans too. There is only one plan with unlimited storage - $5 per month or $50 per year. This makes it extremely easy for the customers to understand the payment system and be assured that there are no extra costs.
With no free storage, there is a 15-day trial offered by the company which is an excellent option to try the service and see if it completely fits your requirements.
What is Backblaze Missing?
Not being able to decide what to backup is a major issue which could annoy a majority of the users. While Backblaze backs up everything it deems important, not every user will agree with it. We all have some folders that are so critical that we cannot upload them to the cloud. Though there is an option to exclude folders, it can prove to be time-consuming if there many folders that need to be excluded. Also, Backblaze cannot backup network attached storage drives.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Is BackBlaze?
BackBlaze is a tool that allows users to easily backup their data from Windows or Mac to the Cloud. This online backup service offers easy file sharing, fast speeds, and unlimited storage space. Backblaze offers plans for both personal and business usage.
How Much Does Backblaze Cost?
The cost for Backblaze computer backup is $5 per month per computer, or $50 yearly. For business plans, the cost is $5/month per terabyte.
How Long Does Backblaze Keep My Files?
Once you delete your data and files, it will be removed from Backblaze's server after thirty days.
Is Backblaze Encrypted?
Backblaze has built-in data encryption. The files scheduled for backup are encrypted on your machine before being transferred through a SSL connection to BackBlaze's cloud datacenter where they are stored encrypted on disk.
Tech Specs:
Specifications
- Free Storage: No
- Free Trial: 15 days
- System: Windows and Mac
- Price: Starting at $5/month
Mobile
Backup Features
- Synchronization: Yes
- Free External HD Backup: Yes
- Continuous Backup: Yes
- Incremental Backup: Yes
- Backup Scheduling: Yes
- Bare Metal Backup: No
- Exclude File Extensions for Backup: Yes
- Network Drives: No
- Bandwidth Throttling: Yes
- Web Access: Yes
- HIPAA Compliant: No
- File Size Limit: No limit
- Included Machines: 1
- File Sharing: No
- Multiple Accounts: No
- Share Photo Albums: No
- Music Streaming: No
- Folder Collaboration: No
- Outlook Backup: Yes
Security
- Local Encryption: 128-bit
- Server Side Encryption: 256-bit
- Keeps deleted files: 30 days
- File Versioning: 30 versions
Backblaze is one of a few photo backup systems that I use. When I first started getting into photography, I had a hard drive with some of my first digital photos and negative scans on it. I lost the power cable to the hard drive, and then the hard drive eventually went missing after moving a few times. At the time, I had no cloud backups or copies of these photos. The photos are gone. Forever 😿.
Backing up photos with Backblaze is a solid option if you don’t want to lose any of your photos or digital files. Backblaze makes it easy because they have a simple app for your computer and an easy-to-use-web interface. If you encounter a drive failure, Backblaze can even send you a replacement hard drive with all of your photos and digital files.
How much does Backblaze cost?
Backblaze is currently $5/mo and $50/year.
I like Backblaze because the desktop app (I use the Mac app) is simple to use. It runs in the background and backs up your photos quickly. In the past, I recovered a 200GB hard drive from Backblase and the process was very seamless!
There are no limits on how much you can back up, either. You’re able to download a ZIP file of your data or have your data sent to a location of your choice. Your data is safe because everything is encrypted. I’ve been using Backblaze for almost three years, and it’s been a seamless and passive way to back up my photos.
See why Backblaze is great!
You'll get three months for free! The free trial is a great way to evaluate if Backblaze is right for you.
Sign up for BackblazeBackblaze vs Carbonite vs Crashplan
Backblaze has an excellent guide describing the differences between Backblaze vs. Crashplan. Some of the major takeaways for my uses are the various restoring options and being able to back up multiple external hard drives.
Backblaze has a similar guide for choosing the difference between Backblaze vs. Carbonite. The big difference falls in price. The Carbonite Basic plan has a lot of features that are useful, but are only included in their more expensive Carbonite Prime plan. The most significant advantages that I see are backing up multiple hard drives and some various recovery options.
Why is Backblaze good for photographers?
Backblaze has less customization over which data you want to back up than its competitors do. I think this is an advantage for Backblaze because the external drives that I want to backup only contain photo and video files. There are no selective sync options that I need to enable with my backup drives.
There’s an interface for browsing and restoring your files. With my backup system, I have a few hard drives and partitions that split up my workflow. I don’t always have my external hard drives with me, and that could cause a problem if I needed to access a file. With Backblaze, it’s almost like you did have all of your external hard drives, because you can access whatever you need. You can even search for a specific file name and get a breakdown of where those files exist. I don’t recommend that you treat this as a way to normally access files. But, in a pinch, you can find the files that you’re looking for if need be.
There’s no limit to the size of a file or the total backup size. If you have 5000 TB worth of photos, you’re technically able to back them up (although I bet they might contact you and try to figure out why you have so many photos).
Why is Backblaze a good backup service?
There’s more to Backblaze than the typical features, the low price and the its quality app. Under the same account, you’re able to enable B2 Cloud Storage. With B2, you can back up a RAID system and other large amounts of data. B2 is considered cold storage, and you pay to access and store. Because I travel so often, it doesn’t make sense to own a NAS drive, like Synology or something else. When I’m ready to have a stable office, a NAS is on the top of my list. To back up that NAS, B2 is my go-to option.
With Backblaze, you can share files with anyone. This is good if you have large files that you don’t want to store on Dropbox. You’re easily able to create a share link and have someone download your file. This sharing capability is only a feature on B2.
One feature that isn’t mentioned too often is the ability to locate your computer. If your laptop is stolen or you somehow forget where you left it, you can sign into your Backblaze account and locate your laptop. Computer theft is tricky, because computers often get stripped and sold for the parts that make them up. Using this feature of Backblaze is one additional measure that you can take to try and locate a stolen machine.
How can you get started with Backblaze?
If you’re interested in starting a trial with Backblaze to start backing up all of your photos, check out their website. When you sign up, you’ll get three months for free! Without Backblaze, I wouldn’t feel ensured that my photos are safe and secure. This is one of the best options that you can choose to back up your photos.
Backblaze Cold Storage
See why Backblaze is great!
You'll get three months for free! The free trial is a great way to evaluate if Backblaze is right for you.
Backblaze Storage Pod 7
Sign up for BackblazeHow I use Backblaze
I made a video talking about my hard drive thought process and how I back up everything with Backblaze.
Why photo backups with Backblaze is important?
I use external hard drives for all of my photo backups. External hard drives are the easiest to travel with, and they’re inexpensive. You can find 2TB hard drives for about $150. You can find a 500GB solid state hard drive for about $100. Without backing up your photos, there’s very little you can do if your main working hard drive fails.
If your working hard drive does fail, you can pay a lot of money to try and have the data recovered. If you have any backup system, you don’t have to worry about any data loss if you have a hard drive failure.
I think of digital photos the same way that I think of physical photos. I have a lot of physical photos from my childhood that don’t exist anymore. I want to make sure that my digital photos live on forever so that I can share them many years in the future.
Last updated on February 11th, 2021