Simple, online backups

Pulsedriver · 17 Oct 2016 at 11:33

Hey folks, I am looking to sort out a backup solution for a friends company, they have an existing O365 account so Onedrive looks tempting, basically, this is really all that needs doing;

2 folders to be backed up to the cloud, ideally nightly, and incremental backups, the data is about 250GB or so, and growing, although slowly, so it won't be, say, 300GB for about 3-6 months or so.

One of the folders houses a sql database, so cannot be backed up when in use, so a nightly backup would be best.

I suppose as a bonus, the machine being able to be backed up would be good, it is just a desktop pc being used as a shared folder for the purpose of accessing/storing files that everyone accesses within that office, as well as housing the main database for a software program that around 15 users are connected to locally.

With something like Onedrive, it looks like the files need to be in that folder from what I can see (ie like Dropbox)? So it would not work as it needs to be folders that I can choose from the PC itself,

iDrive seems to be another option, but with them already having an O365 business account I do seem to lean towards Onedrive if anyone has any experience with it in this instance?

Thanks in advance

Steviepunk · 19 Oct 2016 at 19:52

Cloud drives do usually have the problem that you need to have the folder synced on your PC.
An option that I use for some servers is Azure cloud backup. This functions as a proper backup solution rather than just cloud syncing so may offer what you are looking for.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/services/backup/

Grrrrr · 21 Oct 2016 at 12:04

Crashplan or BackBlaze

Either of these would be perfect for you requirements. Both are unlimited and both are cheap (around $5 per month). You just need to install the software and basically forgot about it - it'll just continually backup in the background.

Crashplan has unlimited retention so you can restore files that you might have accidentally deleted months or years ago, whereas with BackBlaze you can only go 30 days back in time.

Crashplan is slooooow for restoring files (personal experience) but from what I've read BackBlaze is much faster.

The BackBlaze user interface also seems much nicer and simpler than Crashplans.

I have Crashplan set up to backup to the cloud and also to a local drive. This means I have a bit of extra redundancy but also gets around Crashplans slow download speed, since in most instances I can restore from the local backup. If you did go with Crashplan I recommend doing the same - a 1TB external drive can be picked up peanuts these days.

KIA · 21 Oct 2016 at 21:39

Duplicati + Amazon Cloud Drive.

thewanted · 23 Oct 2016 at 06:44

KIA said:
Duplicati + Amazon Cloud Drive.

This definitely looks like a good solution

Client-side encryption and unlimited storage space for a low price. Win win.

Are you using Duplicati v2.0 yet?

KIA · 23 Oct 2016 at 17:30

thewanted said:
Are you using Duplicati v2.0 yet?

Yes. I've been running v1 and v2 side by side for a couple of months. No issues so far.

Hiijinx · 23 Oct 2016 at 21:41

I have used Livedrive for many years and has saved me numerous times.

KIA · 24 Oct 2016 at 16:42

Another option is https://www.syncovery.com/

Mark M · 26 Oct 2016 at 12:47

KIA said:
Duplicati + Amazon Cloud Drive.

This looks an interesting solution for me actually, couple of quick questions if you dont mind:

If I sign up to the Amazon Cloud Drive can I only back up from one location? It would be for the business first but I need a solution for my home photos too.
Does it work the same as DropBox where is has a "shared folder" or is that where Duplicati comes in to stop the need for a dedicated folder?
What retention does it have? I couldnt find anything specifically for the Cloud Drive

CaptainCrash · 26 Oct 2016 at 13:32

Pulsedriver said:
With something like Onedrive, it looks like the files need to be in that folder from what I can see (ie like Dropbox)? So it would not work as it needs to be folders that I can choose from the PC itself,

iDrive seems to be another option, but with them already having an O365 business account I do seem to lean towards Onedrive if anyone has any experience with it in this instance?

Bit late with this, but if you're inclined to use OneDrive it's worth bearing in mind that it supports hard links to directories outside the designated OneDrive folder itself, eg:

Code:

mklink /J C:\Users\%User%\OneDrive\MyStuff d:\MyStuff

The contents of "d:\MyStuff" will be synced as if "MyStuff" were an actual OneDrive subfolder.

KIA · 26 Oct 2016 at 18:47

Mark M said:
If I sign up to the Amazon Cloud Drive can I only back up from one location? It would be for the business first but I need a solution for my home photos too.

Does it work the same as DropBox where is has a "shared folder" or is that where Duplicati comes in to stop the need for a dedicated folder?

What retention does it have? I couldnt find anything specifically for the Cloud Drive

1) As many as you want.
2) No. It doesn't offer traditional file sync.
3) Unlimited retention, just keep paying for the ACD sub.

Mark M · 27 Oct 2016 at 08:54

Thanks for the response, I dont want a dropbox type solution so I think it will be perfect for me. Will give the 3 month trial a go.

rtho782 · 9 Nov 2016 at 21:10

I do like Blackblaze for this sort of thing myself.

Bantu · 10 Nov 2016 at 10:24

I would second a vote for Crashplan. I don't use the cloud feature, but i do use it on 2 PCs in different parts of the UK, and cross-backup between them to get my offsite.

Stoner81 · 10 Nov 2016 at 13:52

It seems a few folk are unhappy with how the restoration process works with Backblaze due to you sending your password over SSL. To be honest I sort of understand what they are saying to an extent but it's paranoia to say the least.

Still I do like the sound of Backblaze very much and will be taking a much closer look at them soon!

Stoner81.

KIA · 10 Nov 2016 at 18:37

Stoner81 said:
It seems a few folk are unhappy with how the restoration process works with Backblaze due to you sending your password over SSL. To be honest I sort of understand what they are saying to an extent but it's paranoia to say the least.

Still I do like the sound of Backblaze very much and will be taking a much closer look at them soon!

Backblaze isn't a Trust No One solution. In this day and age, many people are looking for a bulletproof solution.

£15 · 29 Dec 2016 at 14:28

KIA said:
Duplicati + Amazon Cloud Drive.

Could I use this solution to backup a mapped network drive (Synology NAS)?

KIA · 29 Dec 2016 at 19:12

BadMojo said:
Could I use this solution to backup a mapped network drive (Synology NAS)?

Yes.

£15 · 30 Dec 2016 at 11:50

Thanks for replying.

I've signed up to Amazon's three month trial and have just installed Duplicati. I don't suppose you know if there are any setup tutorials? (I am looking myself, honest.)

KIA · 30 Dec 2016 at 18:10

BadMojo said:
Thanks for replying.

I've signed up to Amazon's three month trial and have just installed Duplicati. I don't suppose you know if there are any setup tutorials? (I am looking myself, honest.)

Not aware of any. Is there something you're struggling with?

You may want to have a read of some of the technical articles.