Last Updated on April 20, 2020

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How would it be to be able to access all your files from anywhere without having to carry heavy external hard drives with you? There is one solution. It is called online storage. It is relatively cheap, but I had to follow my first impulse and look for free online backup solutions. I found some, but most of them offer up to 2GB. This is good for storing my email inbox messages and probably a few other documents. However, for backing up my whole computer, it takes more than 2GB. This is why I’ve chosen Mozy for today’s review.

Mozy is a service that provides automatic or scheduled backups of your files and stores them online for you. They offer MozyHome (for home use) and MozyPro (for business use). MozyHome is available in three variants of backup online: 2GB, 50GB and 125GB.

The first one, MozyHome Free is free (as the name says). It comes with the following benefits: automatic or scheduled backups, file encryption during backup and storage, desktop and laptop support for Windows and Mac. You also get access to the knowledge database, tutorials and support community. It’s nice that this service is hassle-free: you don’t have to pay any setup fee, you don’t need to submit your credit card details and you can upgrade to a paid version any time, should you decide you need more than the 2GB. Click here to try Mozy for FREE!

Apart from more storage space, paid plans come with live chat support and support ticket system. Thew price is $5.99 per month for the 50GB plan and $9.99 per month for the 125GB one. It is not much, the 125 GB is quite appealing to me. I could store about 2,500 videos or about 18,000 photos or more than 20,000 music files. Besides, you get it for three computers. I only have two, the desktop and a laptop, but I’m considering adding one more, so three could be useful.

MozyHome supports the following operating systems:

Windows 7, 2000, XP, and Vista (32 & 64 bit)
Mac OS X 10.6, 10.5, & 10.4.

MozyHome online backup features

Automatic or scheduled backups: you can have automatic backups when your computer is not in use. This is awesome, because there won’t be any additional program working in the background and slowing you down just when you feel more productive.

Incremental backups: once the initial backup is done, Mozy will only backup new files or portions of the changed ones. This will save you bandwidth, meaning your computer will still be fast enough to use it while backups are in progress.

Bandwidth throttling: you can setup the amount of bandwidth you want to allocate for mozy. This is awesome because you don’t risk to have it suck all your bandwidth and leave you waiting minutes for webpages to load.

Multiple restore options: when you need a restore, you can either do it online or order a DVD to be sent to your home address. Another option is to use the Mozy software client.

Do I really need an online backup service?

There’s a short intro video on the Mozy website. I found some of it interesting. I had no idea 140,000 hard drives crash, nor that 12,000 laptops get stolen or lost in airports in an average week. I only experienced one hard drive crash in the 20 years or so since I’ve owned computers. It is true that my data was lost for good. Another funny moment in that video was when backing up your data on DVDs or external drives was presented as a smart choice, but then graphics suggested that your house and all things in it could be destroyed by a fire. I laughed. I have to admit, though, there’s some truth to it.
Another point made by Mozy was that one can hardly remember to manually backup their drive on regular basis. This is true, I almost never remember. However, there are applications that can be setup to perform scheduled backups.

One thing I haven’t thought of, and which seems to be one of the good reasons to go for online backup, is the possibility to track your stolen laptop, as this Mozy user said:

“The individuals who had my stolen computer didn’t realize Mozy was backing up their photos and personal documents. I restored the files online and turned the information over to police. Thanks to Mozy, I now have my computer back.”

My next mobile phone will most probably be an Android one. This is one good reason for me to sign up with Mozy, because they have an Android app that allows accessing backup files directly from Android devices.

I’ll try the free online backup plan for a while, then I’ll update this review with thoughts from the “inside”. If Mozy services are as reliable as they claim to be, then $10 a month for having all my important files securely stored online is a small price to pay. Would you give it a try, too? Click here to try Mozy for FREE!