Mozy Backup

Yup, it happened to me two weeks ago.  Sooner later it happens to everyone.  Much like flat tire on your bike or car, a computer breakdown can leave you stranded. 

I’ve been through this a few times now.  My laptop was still covered by warranty so that was fine but for two weeks it was away being fixed.  The loaner was great but not loaded with my data.  Think of what’s on your computer’s hard drive.  Photos, music, video, links, financial data, files and files and files.  

I’m storing more of my work on remote sites now which essentially makes the computer more of a portal and less of storage device.  Sites such as Google Docs for documents, Google Sites for active client files, Google Calendar for all scheduling, Flickr for photos, Dropbox for storage or transferring files instantly with clients…

These work well, each with it’s own specific features.  What Mozy is good for is taking care of EVERYTHING.  Set the schedule for backups to the frequency that suits you and while you’re working at other things on your computer, it’s updating your backup on a remote server.  It isn’t storage, it’s your backup.  If your machine is suddenly not there for you, you can access everything you asked it to backup from any computer with an internet connection.  Maybe one of the files you backup should be a list of programs and access information so you can re-download and install them when your machine is back or replaced.

Mozy is very affordable.  My coverage costs just over $100 every two years.  That’s like the cost of a deli sandwich each month.  I consider this a very low premium for the insurance and assurance Mozy provides me.  Do I sound like I’m selling?  Hey, if it didn’t work and wasn’t straight forward to access, I wouldn’t tell you about it.  Just this month I’ve talked with three people who have had computer system problems and been without their machines for a period of time.  Just sayin’ is-all.

Collaborate

Most of the work I do is collaborative.  Project team members, vendors and clients all benefit from clear communication and transparency of process.  Search for ‘collaboration online’ and you’ll see how significant this field is.  

A site I have used extensively to organize projects and host collaborative development is pbworks.com.   A good, clear article by Yegor Gilyov about pbworks is here.  Sometimes it is helpful to have a product compared to another to highlight its features.  Here PBWorks is compared with BaseCamphq.  I have used BaseCamp a number of times and appreciate its usefulness and like Gilyov, find PBWorks just that much more versatile.  

How huge is the collaboration world online?  Check out Robin Good’s one page visual at MindMeister.com.  If  you are considering using online collaborative tools within your organization, let me help you decide which is most suited to your needs.  I have a cursory knowledge of many of them and specific, first-hand-use knowledge about these.
BaseCamp
Google Docs
Huddle
DropBox
youSendIt
PBWiki (now PBWorks)
WetPaint
WikiSpaces
Scribd
Issu
Ning
GoToMeeting
Campfire
EventBrite
GoogleWave
Skype
Google Chat
ICQ
SlideShare
Adobe Connect Pro

Of course, I have my favourites but these are the main tools we have chosen to use or been inflicted with by project partners.  My partners use other programs to facilitate their specialty skills. 

What have you used?  What do you recommend? Why?  Let’s all learn from one another.