Mozy Backup going to a tiered fee structure

[Lord Blackmore]

Just an FYI. I got this in my email today. Instead of a flat rate fee of $5 a month for unlimited backup, the next billing cycle it changes to a tiered, gb limited plan. I'm not sure if Mozy will remain the best value or not, so I'll at least be investigating other services.

--

Thanks for being a valued Mozy subscriber. For the first time since 2006, we’re adjusting the price of our MozyHome service and wanted to give you a heads up. As part of this change, we’re replacing our MozyHome Unlimited backup plan and introducing the following tiered storage plans:
50 GB for $5.99 per month (includes backup for 1 computer)
125 GB for $9.99 per month (includes backup for up to 3 computers)
You may add additional computers (up to 5 in total) or 20 GB increments of storage to either of the plans, each for a monthly cost of $2.00.
While this policy takes effect for new MozyHome customers starting today, your MozyHome Unlimited subscription is still valid for the duration of your current monthly term. Your new plan will take effect on your first renewal after March 1, 2011. Based on your current usage of 1 computer(s) and 49.96 gigabytes, your renewal plan will increase by approximately $1 per month to $5.99 for a monthly term.
As the leader in online backup, we’re committed to continually providing the highest levels of service and protection that you’ve come to expect from us as well as delivering those innovations you’ve been asking for. For more information on the factors that led to this change, please read my note or visit our FAQ.

[puttering]

What?!?! I just signed up with them on Friday night and my initial backup just ended yesterday afternoon after running all weekend, about 80GB. I paid for a year, so I guess I'm grandfathered in.

[The Man]

The Man says: don't give a shit about Mozy backup.

[Giraffe]

Son of a bitch!

The number one reason I went with Mozy was not having to worry about staying under usage quotas and just let it back up everything. Luckily I paid for at least one, maybe two years, in advance so I'll have time to find a better off-site backup solution, but given how long it took to upload everything in the first place, this is pretty freaking annoying.

[tunaman]

The free 2GB plan is still around, yeah? Because it's amazing what you can back up with RAR + Mozy.

[Erasmus Darwin]

Doesn't Carbonite offer pretty much the same service as Mozy did, including unlimited backups?

I haven't used either one, so I don't know how they compare in practice. But in theory, they seemed to both offer the same thing.

[Lord Blackmore]

Originally Posted by Erasmus Darwin

Doesn't Carbonite offer pretty much the same service as Mozy did, including unlimited backups?

I haven't used either one, so I don't know how they compare in practice. But in theory, they seemed to both offer the same thing.

Carbonite is something like $55 for a year, unlimited, which is roughly half of what Mozy charges for 125gb. I'll be moving to carbonite.

[Dirx]

What's the advantage of a service like Mozy over having an external HD or something?

[tunaman]

Originally Posted by Dirx

What's the advantage of a service like Mozy over having an external HD or something?

Well, it's off-site. If your house burns down, it doesn't help you out any if your backup drive burns, too.

[dynamitedave]

Originally Posted by tunaman

Well, it's off-site. If your house burns down, it doesn't help you out any if your backup drive burns, too.

Also, some backup services have a shared folder which allows you to access those files from the web.

[Erasmus Darwin]

Two more alternatives, both with discounts for ex-Mozy customers:

BackBlaze - 10% off with the coupon code "byemozy"
Crashplan - 15% off if you follow this link (you should see "Mozy Switcher 15% Discount" in your shopping cart)

(Disclaimer: No personal experience with either service.)