Mozy

One of the great things about having a camera on your phone is that it’s always with you so, even though you couldn’t know in advance that your mate was going to fall flat on his face in the mud, you’ll still be able to make sure that the rest of the world can share in his humiliation through the awesome power of Facebook.

But, for the really important occasions, most of us still like to take a conventional camera.  Weddings, christenings and barmizvahs demand a better quality of picture that you can generally get with six-times optical zoom on a clam phone.

So, we end up with two tiers of photos: everyday photos on your phone and special photos on your camera.  Which is all well and good until you want to share your pictures.  When trying to show off your boyfriend to colleagues in the bar after work, that picture of him in the mourning suit at your sister’s wedding is on your laptop at home and you have to choose between a snap of his Dot Cotton impression and that time he managed to balance a pizza box on his face.

And September can be one of the most frustrating months as you realise that all of the holiday pictures you took in Cancun are at home and your only record of summer is the check-in queue photo that you posted to twitter in an attempt to shame the airline into an upgrade.  How are you going to trump Dave-in-Finance’s pictures from Kavos with that?

Enter the Mozy App for iPhone and Android.  Mozy lets you access all of the data that you backed up on your computer right from your smartphone.  So, once you’ve synced your camera with your laptop, your back up will give you access to all your photos on your phone, regardless of which device you used to take them.

So, should you want to prove that the fish you caught on your trip really was ‘this big’ or the girl you met in Marbs really was ‘this hot’, all you have to do is reach for your phone.  You can even use the app to post the picture to Facebook so the rest of the world can witness your glory.

Of course, if your friends download the Mozy app, it may mean that they have every picture they’ve ever taken of you to hand at all the least opportune moments.  We apologise in advance for any future incidents where anyone reveals that experimental haircut you thought made you look edgy when you were 15.

Mozy has been around for over five years now – but we’ve not stood still.  So, if you signed up to Mozy some time ago, you may not know about all the features and functionality that exist in Mozy today.   Here’s our list of ten things you might not have known you can do with Mozy.

1)      Access your files anywhere

With Mozy’s web access portal, you can log into your Mozy account from any web-connected device and get the files you want, whenever you want them.

2)      Get your files on your phone

With the Mozy app, you can browse and download any of your backed-up files on your iPhone or Android mobile.

3)      Use Mozy to transfer files to your iPad or Android tablet

Don’t worry about whether you created your files on your laptop or desktop, access them all from your iPad or Android tablet using Mozy.

4)      Preview your files before you restore them

Don’t waste time and bandwidth guessing which files you want to download, use Mozy’s thumbnail previews to check them out first.

5)      Back up your NAS

If the primary copy of your data is on your NAS, make sure that’s what you’re backing up with MozyConnect.

6)      Back up to an external hard drive as well as the Cloud

Two backups are better than one!  Use Mozy 2xProtect for fast local backup and reliable offsite back up.

7)      Remotely email a file to someone else

If you don’t have your computer with you but you get an urgent request for a document, you can email it without even having to download it yourself with the Mozy App.

8)      Back up multiple devices on the same MozyHome account

As lots of us today have more than one device in our homes, you can now backup as many as five computers on a MozyHome account.

9)      Help track your laptop should it get stolen

As well as helping you get your data back in the event that your computer is stolen, we might also be able to help the police locate your device.  If your computer is taken, contact support at Mozy for help.

10)   Transfer an exact copy of your file tree to a new computer when you upgrade

Mozy makes transferring data to a new computer child’s play.  Simply log into your account from your new device to copy over all your files in exactly the same structure.

And one on the way!

11)   Sync your files between your phone, tablet and other computers with Mozy Stash

Mozy Stash is still in beta so didn’t quite make our list but soon users will be able to synchronise documents across their devices with this nifty new feature.

It’s 30 years since the world’s first IBM-compatible PC was unveiled to the world and, my, haven’t things changed?

Back on the 12^th of August 1981, audiences at the Waldorf Astoria in New York gasped at the awesome power of the IBM 5150, which, for a mere $20,000, could offer a maximum of 256kB of memory (assuming, of course, that you boosted the 64kB of memory on the motherboard with three 64kB expansion cards).

Who could have known back then how central to our lives PCs would become?  Who could predict that some of our most precious memories would live on our PCs and that we would become so attached to that information that we’d want everywhere access to it?

Sometimes, the value of the digital information we’ve accumulated over the years isn’t terribly apparent – the PC has quietly picked up more and more roles without us noticing.  But, for many of us, the PC is our address book, photo album, music library, diary, home accounts ledger, home video library and much more.

But, as Spiderman’s Uncle Ben says: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”  And so it is with the PC.  We rely on our computers to store all that precious data.  However, unless you happen to be a government research facility, you’re unlikely to have a ‘supercomputer’ and everyday PCs are prone to everyday errors and occasional failures.  So, rather than hoping your PC is has super powers and relying on it in isolation, back up your information!

You can back up as much as 50GB of data with Mozy for just £4.99 – that’s 200,000 times the memory of the expanded IBM 5150.  Or 125GB (500,000 times) for £7.99.  A trial version is also available with a free 2GB option on MozyHome.

And, if you’re addicted to your PC and want your data at your fingertips everywhere you go, check out our mobile apps which allow you to access all your backed-up data on your Android or Apple mobile devices.

According to a report in today’s Metro (www.metro.co.uk), Saturday’s fire at the London Park Lane Hilton sent Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am into a spin as he hurried to protect his laptop, which contained the latest edits of the band’s new album.

It’s moments like these that make us realise just how valuable the information on our computers really is.

Now, you may not have the only version of the next multi-platinum-selling album saved to your hard drive, but each of us has our own precious stuff there that we’d hate to lose.  That’s why having a backup copy of the files you treasure is so important.

Mozy customer Beth Lutz knows just what it’s like to lose everything in a fire.  You can hear her story, and how Mozy helped, in this video:

If you’ve been living in an air-conditioned, hermetically-sealed bunker this week you may have missed the news that not only have we had record temperatures for Wimbledon week, we’ve also got a Brit through to the men’s quarter finals.

For those people who are genuinely working from home this week (and watching the tennis with one eye whilst checking your Blackberry with the other doesn’t count), the thought has probably crossed your mind to make the most of the weather and decamp to the alfresco office that is the back garden.

However, whilst we may love the sun, our computers don’t necessarily agree (by and large, they really would prefer to be in an air-conditioned, hermetically-sealed bunker).  So, before trailing the extension lead out to the lawn and setting up a deck-chair desk, here are Mozy’s top five tips for keeping your laptop happy in the sun.

1)      Shade is your friend

Most office-issued laptops come in a black case, which is just perfect for absorbing the sun’s rays.  Batteries will lose life forever if overheated and hard drives that expand in the warmth will be prone to head crashes.  Keep your laptop under 35 degrees Centigrade to keep your computer safe.

2)      Time is a great healer

Carrying a working laptop from blazing heat to the cool of your home, or vice versa, encourages sudden expansion or contraction of the parts whilst still in operation.  Shutting down your computer before you move in and out, and giving it time to acclimatise before rebooting, will help to protect your device.

3)      A watched computer never boils

Leaving your computer unattended in the sun is never a good idea.  That rings true if it’s in the garden or in your car.  If it’s too hot to leave a pet or a child, it’s too hot to leave your laptop.

4)      Don’t sweat it

High humidity can lead to condensation in the circuits of your computer so, if you’re feeling sweaty, the chances are that your computer is too …only the computer issues can’t be fixed by a wipe with a towel.  If the humidity outside is over 80 per cent, it’s advisable to keep your computer indoors.

5)      Back up

The whole point of a laptop is that it’s portable so you shouldn’t be afraid of taking it where you want to use it.  If you have an online backup of your files, should the worst happen and your hard drive stops working, you’ll always have a copy of them in the cloud.

So, enjoy some fun in the sun and remember to protect your computer and protect yourself – slip, slap, slop people!

Today is the longest day of the year in the UK and Ireland, where we get a full 8 hours and 49 minutes more daylight than we’ll be getting on the shortest day this winter.

So, why not use those extra minutes to do one thing that will save you time for the rest of the year?

Signing up to Mozy and setting your backup preferences takes only a few minutes – but it will automate your backup for the rest of the year.  No more manual backups to hard drives, tape or USB sticks and no more worrying about what might happen if you ever lose your files.

Simply visit www.mozy.co.uk or www.mozy.ie to get started.

It’s time to light the candles and cut the cake for mozy.co.uk and mozy.ie are celebrating their first birthdays!

That’s a year since Mozy launched a service based on:

-         Local websites

-         Local support teams

-         Local data centres

-         Local pricing

But we haven’t stood still over the past year!  We now also have:

-         An online support portal

-         Mozy 2.0 for Windows and Mac

-         2xProtect for local and online backup

-         25% faster uploads

And there’s more on the way with:

-         The Mozy app for iOS and Android

-         An enhanced restore experience

-         Synchronisation capabilities

To celebrate our first year in the UK and Ireland, we’re offering residents in the UK and Ireland a chance to win a year of Mozy protection for free.

All you have to do is follow @mozyuk on twitter and tweet and complete “@mozyuk Mozy is the 1 for me because…” between now and the end of May.  At the end of the month, three winners will be chosen at random.

The recession has meant that we’re all putting off some of the purchases we would have liked to have made over the past couple of years.  In our home lives, that’s likely to be cars and TVs and, in the office, it’s likely to be new technology.

After all, as everybody’s grandmother says (unless you’re Prince William, I can’t imagine the Queen saying it): “If it aint broke, don’t fix it!”  But those same lips (in between sucking Werthers and knocking back enough tea to float a battleship) probably also said: “a stitch in time saving nine,” – a lesson that many businesses are learning in 2011.

Three years after the recession hit, we should all typically have been through a workplace technology refresh – but according to our new research, just 40 per cent of companies in Europe, and 30 per cent of companies in the UK, have actually completed one.  Unsurprisingly, the poor economic climate was the most frequently cited reason for plans falling by the wayside.

But what’s the result?  40 per cent of employees told us that their computers were prone to crashes and data loss, which had a negative impact on their productivity.  With analysts putting the cost of a lost record at $214 – scrimping can be a false economy that ultimately costs many, many times the price a few new PCs.

Plus, if your upgrade policy is ‘wait until your computer breaks completely’ it’s not just one or two documents you stand to lose, it’s all of them. And, if you lose your data, you’re likely to lose your business too – 60 per cent of businesses go under if they lose their data for more than 48 hours.

Of course, there’s always a third way! If you can’t afford to shell out for new computers, you can protect the old ones with online data backup.

And, don’t forget, if you’re using a service like Mozy, the act of transferring your data to a new computer in the event that it gives up the ghost – or because you’re one of the 40 per cent of European companies that actually follows a refresh cycle properly – becomes simplicity itself.

So, to put it bluntly, if you can’t afford a new car, make sure you’re up to date with your payments for road-side assistance and, if you can’t afford a new computer, make sure you’ve got Mozy.

It’s often said that a good name is more desirable than great riches but, often, the two go hand in hand.  So what price can you put on your reputation?

According to new research from the Ponemon Institute, the damage to your reputation that comes with a major data loss incident can cost more than the loss of the data itself.

Each record lost, the research found, costs businesses $214, which not only includes the costs of notifying those involved and recreating records, but also the abnormal customer churn that comes from admitting that you lost data.

With more at risk than embarrassed blushes, it’s more important than ever for businesses to ensure that they have robust backup solutions in place.

The MozyBlog likes to think of itself as your SatNav to what lies ahead at Mozy so we’re excited to let you know that our compass is pointing straight to mobile apps followed by sync functionality a little bit further down the track.

This week, Mozy was at CeBIT speaking about its iPhone and Android apps for the first time.

Mozy’s mobile app will allow you to securely access the stuff you protect with Mozy, share select files such as photos with others, or view them on your phone. The app will also include convenience features such as photo thumbnail display which allows you to preview the files you’re looking for before downloading them in high-res.

Mozy also spoke about its beta trial for its new ‘sync’ functionality at the show.

This feature will allow users to put a Mozy sync folder on each of their computers. Any files that they put into this folder will be automatically synchronised on any other computers that they’ve installed the application on. This way, they always have the most up-to-date version of their files no matter which computer they’re using.

The sync functionality is just going into beta with a group of customers in the US, whilst the mobile functionality is set for a limited launch soon.

We think that, these new features will help our customers make more of the opportunities presented to them once their data is backed up to the Cloud.

To stay up to speed on where Mozy is with the roll out of these features, or to find out where we’re going next, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to this blog.  Or, for more information on our latest features, check out our Q&A.