IT Pro Verdict
While it supports Mac and Windows, we would have liked to have seen an option for Linux. This is especially necessary for an increasing number of companies that have the OS running a number of servers within their organisations. The web console offers excellent levels of control and configuration that will suit most companies. The service is one of the best and easiest of safety nets out there and with the pay-as-you-go subscriptions, companies can test the service without making a significant financial commitment.
Backing up data is essential to any business. However, the traditional methods which use formats such as tape have limitations, especially when it comes to the small business. All too often, a tape is left at the same site as the system or the backup is not performed on a regular basis.
MozyPro offers automated, managed multi-user online backup for small businesses as a pay-as-you-go model.
The online service is ideal for offices where offsite backup is non-existent as it provides a means for critical business data to be housed in a second, safe location should disaster strike.
Compatibility and pricing
MozyPro (unlike its MozyHome cousin) supports both Windows and Mac servers. As well as backing up SQL and Microsoft Exchange data it backs up networked drives. The service supports a number of operating systems including Windows 7, 2008, Vista, XP, & 2003 (desktop/server) as well as Mac OS X 10.7, 10.6, 10.5, & 10.4 (desktop/server). But there is no support for any flavour of Linux, which may limit the appeal to organisations where Linux is used in production environments.
The pricing structure means that a firm can back up as many desktop computers as needed and only needs to pay for storage used.
A plan for 50GB of backup costs 13.99 per month (this comes down in price if you lock into a yearly or two-year plan). Backing up servers incurs an additional cost as well, but this server "pass" also allows an unlimited number of servers to be backed up. Again the cost is based on the number of GBs stored. This marks a change from what was previously available. In the past, Mozy charged for a licence for each computer that was backed up and then per GB for the amount of data backed up.
Extra storage can be bought as and when needed and for organisations that require a lot of backup initially, Mozy offers a Shuttle service where it sends you a storage unit where you perform the initial large backup. This is then sent back to Mozy where it uploads the contents to its servers in its datacentres. While the device is in transit, the service will perform incremental backups to ensure continuity of service.
The sign-up process is quick enough and once your email is verified, you can download the client application. Once running, MozyPro scans the hard drive to establish which files require backing up. The user can include or exclude files and folders to back up in order to ensure the important stuff is secured and to cut down on backing up times.
