Mozy Review

Sign up:
First step in starting a mozy account is signing up. The sign up process is simple and straightforward. A simple wizard walks you through the steps and once you are finished a verification email is sent to you. Once verified you can download the software.

Installation:
Installation is a walk in the park. After you download the software you can start installing the software. Mozy then asks if you would like to use their 448 Blowfish Encryption or use your own key. If you use your own key, it's your responsibility to keep up with it.

After you choose that selection Mozy is ready to start backing up.

Backup (Summary tab)
This screen is helpful because it is minimal in design and emphasis data like Next Backup, Last Backup, Total Selected (total files and GB's selected) Awaiting Backup (remaining files and GB's to backup), Total Space Used (space used on your Mozy account).

Buttons included on this screen are "Backup Now, Restore Files, History, and Buy More Space. If you click the arrow next to the version number Mozy will check for an update. In the bottom right hand corner is the Uninstall button.

Backup Selection (Files & Folders tab)
Choosing which files and folders to backup is just like navigating Finder (Mac) or Windows Explorer. This section is located under the tab, "Files & Folders". All of your computer files and folders are listed and you can choose which will be backed up.

You can see that some files have been selected by default and you can add or subtract any you do not want to backup by clicking the "+" or "-" sign next to the file.

If you click "Advanced…" there is a helpful screen that shows a list of folders to be backed up. Here you can easy see if you have added any by mistake or left any out.

Backup Options (Options tab)
The backup options are basic and somewhat limited. These options are Install Updates Automatically, Use Custom Location For Temporary Files, Show MozyHome Status In The Menu Bar.

There is a basic scheduling section here too. It allows you to enable automatic backups, choose a time of day (ex. 2:00pm) and interval (every day, every other day, every week, & every other week).

Performance Options (Performance tab)
Both of these options are nice to have, but there could be more. The two that they have are Limit Backup Speed (Bandwidth throttle by Kb/s) and Bandwidth limit scheduler between times (ex. set bandwidth throttle to run from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday - Friday).

We have seen other options that Mozy does not have like File Type Limit, File Size Limit, Daily and Monthly Bandwidth Limit options. These options help you to get high priority files backed up first while disturbing your internet connection as little as possible.

It would also be nice to see an option that could pause the backup if a computer switches to battery mode as well as one that will only backup after a computer has been idle for set amount of time.

Mobile App
The mobile app is useful but has limited functionality. Most backup companies have started to auto backup your mobile phone's camera roll.

The app works great for viewing and retrieving media from your backups and exploring every file backed up from other devices.

Restoring Files
File restoration is self explanatory and simple. First, pick a destination to restore to. Then navigate to the files you want to restore and click the 'Restore' button.

Mozy is not meant to restore your whole system (Operating System files or Application files), but restores files like documents, pictures and other media. For instance, Mozy does not backup the Photoshop application, instead it backs up Photoshop documents which are created and edited using Photoshop.

Mobile Restore
Using a mobile device to restore is difficult. It's possible to view your files, but files can only be viewed, saved or shared. There is no way to download files in bulk.

Web Restore
You have 3 options from the website. Either download all files using an archive (.zip) file, download files individually, or have files shipped to you via snailmail.

If you choose to download the archive, it will take a while to compress all the files into a file for you to download. If you only need to restore a certain set of files, it's recommend to download them individually.

Syncing (Stash folder)
Mozy introduced their new file syncing utility as Stash. It's still in beta. It works just like any sync folder. Download stash and install it. A sync folder is created called "Stash". Files within that folder will be shared with any other devices with that folder installed.

Mozy gives you a set amount of data backup space with their plan. Space used in your stash folder counts towards your existing Mozy plan.

One convenient features is the ability to upload files from the web app. Once logged into your account at Mozy, browse to Stash and click, "Upload to Stash".

Conclusion
Mozy fits quietly on your computer and is hardly noticeable. Its very easy to install and setup, but lacks some convenient backup options. It backs up files quickly and at convenient times using the scheduler.

The mobile app is a little stale. It does not offer automatic photo backup like some competitors. Browsing images and backups is easy to do though.

Mozy's restore options are helpful. Only having access to the website for example won't leave you powerless since retrieving files theres is very easy.

Using Stash is good. There is no problems with it. The way the plan works really helps you utilize syncing and backup simultaneously.

Overall Mozy is pretty good. There are few competitors that have better backup options and mobile apps. However, Mozy has a refined product and is well established. If you primarily use backup over syncing and trust Mozy, then they are a great choice.