How to Get the Most from Your Mozy Online Backups

The beauty of the Mozy backup system is that you can just set it and forget it, and the initial defaults will work fine. However, to get the most from your Mozy backup system, you should delve into some of the configuration options.

The first choice, located on the Schedule tab, is whether to use Automatic or Scheduled backups. I prefer the Scheduled backups, which run at a specific time, because I am routine like that. Automatic backups will run when your computer is not busy, and may be useful for people who don't work on a schedule. I have tested both and determined that if your settings are correct, you won't notice one way or the other. If you choose the Automatic option, you will not know exactly when Mozy runs, so there is at least one notification option you should select on the options tab. There is an option to "Alert me if a backup hasn't happened in this many days". Set this to 1 or 2. You may also wish initially to have the option ticked for "Show status when a backup successfully completes" so that you know the system is working.

If you are not already on the "Options" tab, click on it now. In order to keep the rest of your family happy and not interfere with other applications, you need to be careful not to clog up your home network during the day as you do a large initial backup. It may take days or weeks, even with a high-speed connection. If you have a VOIP phone such as Vonage, it will become unusable if your backup uses the entire network bandwidth. To solve this, you need to enable bandwidth throttle during your typical waking hours. I have found that 1/3 of my available bandwidth during the day works well.

The next option, backup speed, is not nearly as critical for three reasons. One, it affects only your computer, so you don't risk annoying others on your network. Two, you can change it on the fly during any backup and the changes take place immediately. And thirdly, if any Mozy backup is disruptive to you when it runs, you can click cancel to stop it completely, and it will automatically pick up where it left off the next time it runs.

The series of check boxes on this tab are a matter of personal preference, and will not affect your backup performance. For most people, the defaults are what they will like. For a family member who doesn't want Mozy to bother him at all, I unchecked the notification and warning options.

The most important option for my home was the bandwidth throttle during the day. Now we find that Mozy is ideal for our backups, and best of all it is free for an account of less than 2 gigabytes. Unlimited backups for $5/month is practically free. If you have tried Mozy and have good or bad experiences with it, please leave me a comment and let me know.