Hello. What I am endeavoring to do is setup a system that I can offer data backup for my customers over the internet to a server I have setup. I've been trying to research several different types of remote backup options.

I looked at software like RBackup 2007. It does have a really nice feature I think is called Bit Backup. It would certainly save a lot of time in the backup process. However the software is horribly expensive so thus not an option.

I have setup an FTP site on my system simply using the IIS FTP Server. I can remotely save data not problem but I want a way to restrict who goes where and find a way to have data quickly backup like the RBackup software offers.

So I am looking for suggestions for the best overall remote backup solution. Thanks.

Buy WinZip 11 Pro.

Create a job to Zip all the stuff you want backed up. It will also allow you to create a task to run this job on a schedule of your choice.

FTP the Zip to your server. Automate again with a Scheduled Task.

That sounds ok for an initial backup but I'm thinking a differential (only backs up changes made) is a method needed for a regular backup option. Unless Winzip does this?

Search for Robocopy - its an MS app that you can copy files, same as a backup.

It has a lot of switches and I use it heavily to keep pushing out a network share to abotu 50 other locations. Very useful and its free. That might solve your problems for you.

We analyzed the market (and various build/buy scenarios) during our search for the right tool for online backup. In the end, RBackup won out because of its support of (Live) SQL and Exchange databases, version control, native support of open files, local AND remote copy capabilities, and many other features that we just couldn't find anywhere else - or I should clarify, couldn't find in "any other products that actually worked".

RBackup wasn't cheap, but the pricing model was a one-time fee for the software, and a very low cost for optional support and maintenance. We ponied up the cash, and are glad we did. It's fully automated, we get daily email reports of activity and usage, etc. Having tried various cheap alternatives, I can tell you we got what we paid for. We even branded it as our own 'internal' solution! Nice.

Without a doubt RBackup looks great. My current problem is that I own a small business and would like to offer my customers with a remote data backup solution but keep it affordable as my customers are also fairly small businesses.

So I am looking for an affordable backup system that can be automated. Right now I'm looking at using FTP. I do have an FTP site running on my server (having issues with that but that's another story) and am exploring using FTP clients to connect and schedule backups. This seems like a do-able solution though not ideal.

Maybe once I have the funds and the customers, I will look closer at RBackup. The new Winzip does look like a possible solution as well, with it's FTP feature and scheduling.

I really do appreciate all feedback.

Absolutely, I think it is important to evaluate all options, especially when budget is primary. After futzing around with various FTP software and processes (and unfortunately annoying some of our key clients during that process) we decided on RBackup due to its extreme compression, native support for problem files (think: FTP'ing an entire 30 GB Exhange DB each night) and version control capabilities, ease of use, and general 'polish' of the product. Plus, regardless what the RBackup website says, the company was willing to work with us to meet our budget.

Good luck, and please keep us posted with your eventual choice. It's always interesting to hear what works for people, and how they 'made' it work to fit their needs.

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Here's a no-cost solution I have so far for a backup system. I found a way to map drive an FTP site using NetDrive 4.1 by Novell and it's free. Works very slick to map the FTP site as a drive without having to install extra drivers. It'll even startup and connect automatically upon system startup.

I've only run into one computer (out of 3 tested) that gives a whacky error when trying to connect. When attempting connect, windows gives a wdservice.exe error. This happens everytime. wdservice.exe is located in the NetDrive folder and is what makes windows map the drive. The computer that is having the error is running windows XP Pro. With the other two computers that are running it, one is Windows 2000 Server and the other is also Windows XP Pro. I've tried replacing the wdservice.exe with a copy from one of the computers that is running. No go. Reinstalled twice. Used installs from different sites. Still nothing seems to fix this error. All windows updates are done on this computer as well.

So that's my NetDrive adventure thus far. My plan so far is to use netdrive to map to my FTP and use something basic like Windows Backup or some other backup utility that supports scheduling, and also supports some kind of feature like differential method which should greatly reduce back times across the net. Hopefully find something that'll support compression as well and encryption.

Anyways, suggestions and comments are welcome as always.

I've found another program called syncbackup. It is free and does a schwack load of things like syncronized backup (duh...in the name) but it will also do this to an ftp site. It also has a scheduler so it can be complete automated. I'm still figuring it all out but so far, this beats out everything else I've tested so far. I'm still thinking RBackup is something I'd want to move to in the future but the cost is too high at this point.

If anyone comes across any other software that you think would work, please let me know.

Thanks.

Remote Backup can get complex, especially if you're looking for reliability and security. If you're backing up important data, make sure you look into encryption and retention. There are many vendors that can provide you with a complete remote backup solution.


see our website for some of the features to look for in remote backup