Remote Backup Service
Our Remote Backup Service automatically stores a backup of your important data, photos, etc. on our servers. If you accidentally delete a file, or your computer breaks down or is damaged, your data will be secure.
How safe is it?
Your data is encrypted at all times, using the Twofish encryption algorithm.
Our backup drive is split into 16-gigabyte blocks, one for each user, and each encrypted separately. The encryption keys are not stored on the drive, so if it is ever lost or stolen, all the data on it is safe.
The only way to access your backup block is via an encrypted link from your computer to our servers, so no-one can access your data except you.
What gets backed up?
By default, all the documents, photos, email and data files in your “Documents and Settings” folder - that includes your “My Documents” folder and your desktop. Programs, system files, temporary files, ZIP files, music and videos are not backed up by default - if you need any of these to be included, let us know.
How do I sign up?
Contact us, and we’ll send you a link to the software you need to install (currently only a version for Microsoft Windows exists).
How do I retrieve my data from the backup?
Click here to browse your backup.
Click here to browse your photos.
Alternatively, contact us to arrange a full, automatic restore if you have lost all your data.
How long are my old files kept?
Individual backups are kept for up to 6 weeks, to give you time to notice that a file has been lost or corrupted. The photos you can see in the Photo Browser are kept even if you delete them from your computer, so you don’t need to keep all your photos on your hard disk (but you should still keep them somewhere safe, in case we suffer a catastrophe).
What are BackupClient.exe, plink.exe and unison.exe?
If you notice these programs running on your computer, don’t worry.
plink.exe is a component of PuTTY, and is used to create the encrypted link between your computer and our servers.
unison.exe is a component of Unison, and is used to transfer files across the encrypted link.
BackupClient.exe simply watches plink.exe and unison.exe to make sure they are always running.