Massive Free Online Backup: 512GB of Cloud Storage with Backify
I'm used to seeing crazy amounts of online storage given away for free. Newcomer Backify seems to have set a new high bar, though, with their backup service -- you can now get a massive 512GB of storage space for free.
That's incredible, but it's actually not a slam-dunk case of online storage goodness. Yes, you really do get 512GB for free. But it's not a general purpose online storage container like SkyDrive or Dropbox; it's for backing up your PC only, and must be used in conjunction with (the also free) Backify backup software. The backup software runs fully automatically, and 512GB of storage space is more than enough for virtually any small business or home business PC.
But what if you want to use Backify as a Dropbox-like online sharing location? That's when you upgrade to the $5/month plan, which gives you the same 512GB of backup space, but also access to a Briefcase, which lets you share and access any files from your PC via the Web. The Briefcase gets mounted as a drive on your PC, so you can drag and drop files to Backify as if it were a folder on your PC -- just like Dropbox.
There are also plans which offer more storage space and the ability to sync with multiple PCs (you can get unlimited backup and 5 computers, for example, for $3/month).
It all sounds great. Admittedly, perhaps too great. 512GB of storage space? For free? It turns out that Backify is a LiveDrive reseller, so the long-term integrity of your backup depends not just on Backify's business plan being successful, but cloud storage provider LiveDrive hanging on for the long haul as well. Are you a gambling sort of person? Then you might want to go all in on Backify. Even if that sounds worrisome, though, there's little risk in using Backify for now and keeping an eye on the cloud to see if it sticks around. I just wouldn't recommend making it your one and only means of data retention.
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