iBackup

iBackup, Aiming to provide the world’s best Online Backup, Storage, Sync and Remote Access service.

IBackup was created by the same people who bought us IDrive.  They are based in Calabasas, California and are a service of Pro Softnet Corporation.

IBackup started in the late 90’s as a software consulting company working with Fortune 500 entities.

However, with the rise in popularity of the internet, they saw opportunities in web based online backup services and moved into this arena.

iBackup now offer a suite of products and have 30 Petabytes of cloud storage, making them one of the biggest providers in the market.

Backup and restore features:

This is a good product and the pricing is competitive.  They have been in the industry a long time and it shows in the features they have included.

iBackup offer standard features such as syncing and scheduled backups.

With regard to full and incremental they do things slightly differently.  Every backup works like a full backup with incremental effect.  The difference being, instead of changed data being stored separately from the full back up, it is overwritten on the existing backup so you get full backup results every time.  Advanced patching technology is used to determine the changed data at source and applies only modified blocks of changed files onto the backed up data. This will help keep backups fast and optimizes bandwidth usage which is always helpful.

You can backup unlimited devices which include NAS, mapped and external drives, plus you can also create any number of sub accounts for different users.  This is excellent for businesses and home users running a network.  There also mobile apps for iOS, Android and Windows which enable you to back up your mobile devices.

iBackup also offer full disaster recovery, file sharing with permission options and bandwidth throttling.  Files can be shared over Facebook, Twitter and Email with no size restriction.  IBackup includes NAS, Mapped and external drives in your backup too.

Few providers offer all of this in one plan. Disaster recovery is particularly uncommon.  There is no extra charge for any of this either which makes them a very good choice.

iBackup will store up to 10 previous versions of files and restore files up to 30 days after deletion which is reasonable but not the best available. Neither is their file size limit, which at 6GB is rather low.

All in all a good offering at an attractive price thanks to a continually extending promotion.

Security

iBackup are good here too. Data is protected with a 256-bit AES encryption during transfer and storage.

When you share files and folders they are protected using a 128-bit SSL encryption.

Whilst you can use the IBackup default encryption key but they recommend you choose your own.

Something we agree with and an option we would like to see from all cloud providers, although many do offer it.

iBackup own and maintain their own servers which are stored in multiple data centres across America giving you full geo redundant storage.

They are designed with raised floors, HVAC temperature control systems with separate cooling zones, seismically braced racks, smoke detectors, fire suppression systems, motion sensors and video camera surveillance.

As well as security breach alarms and 24/7 secured access. They recommend you have a local back up of your data too, which is always sound advice, but they have done everything possible to keep your data safe.

Supported Configurations and Mobile Access:

iBackup supports the following operating systems and devices:

Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 2012 Server, Windows 2011 Server, Windows 2008 Server, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Web Edition, Window 2003 Server, Windows 2000 (Servers), Windows 2000, Internet Explorer 7.0 and higher, and Windows mobile devices running Windows 8 upwards.

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or greater for desktop and iOS 7.0 or higher – compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

They also support Linux and Android version 2.1 and above.

It would be good to see earlier versions of MAC OS X supported but otherwise they are in line with the rest of the market.

Price Plans

A 15 day 15GB free trial is available.

The following prices are stated as a promotional offer.  However, the closing date has been continually extending for the last couple of months.

Assuming the promotional prices continue this makes them pretty competitive but their standard pricing would not.

iBackup do not separate business and personal, you simply choose how much storage and then select the appropriate downloads for your operating systems.

500GB under Promo (ordinarily 10GB) -$9.95 monthly, $99.50 annually and $149.25 (ordinarily $199) for2 years.

1TB under Promo (ordinarily 20GB) – $19.95 monthly, $199.50 annually and $299.25 (ordinarily $399.00) for 2 years.

2.5TB under Promo (ordinarily 50GB) – $49.95 monthly, $499.50 annually and $749.25 (ordinarily $999.00) for 2 years.

5TB under Promo (ordinarily 100GB) – $99.95 monthly, $999.50 annually and $1499.25 (ordinarily $1999.00) for2 years.

10TB under Promo (ordinarily 200GB) – $199.95 monthly, $1999.50 annually and $2999.25 (ordinarily $3999.00) for 2 years.

Overuse policy. “If you exceed your account storage limit, the overuse will be charged at $2 per GB monthly. To avoid these charges, you may upgrade to a higher storage plan.”

Support

iBackup offer a good level of support if you want to contact them.

They give you telephone support 6am-6pm Pacific Standard Time.

Live chat 24/7 and if your query is less urgent there is email support.

The knowledge base is less helpful.  You get some quite comprehensive FAQ’s, but no video tutorials and a search function would be appreciated too.

 

Conclusion

All in all this is a good product with a number of useful features.  It is well thought out and all features are included with no hidden costs.  Going over your storage limit could be costly so choose a generous limit and keep an eye on it.

Earlier MAC users aren’t catered for and it would be nice to see more on the knowledge base, but as long as the promotion continues (and it has been in place for months) then this is a good choice.