iBackup is a California-based cloud backup provider with an extensive experience in the industry. The service focuses on offering top security, advanced conventionality and storage space to support small businesses, as well as personal users. The software is fairly simple and although it doesn’t offer special options or a remarkable design, its ease of use and convenience will be appreciated by users who prefer a functional approach. We’ll find out more about iBackup in this review.
Interface
iBackup has opted for a straightforward, clean interface that focuses on functionality, rather than appearance. It may not have the most appealing design, but it works well, which in the end is what really matters. There are apps available for popular platforms like Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS, as well as a web version. You will find the following tabs in the desktop version: restore, backup, scheduler, local backup and server backup.
At the top, there is an option that allows you to browse and mark the files and folders that you want to back up or recover. The search option lets you look for file name and metadata. The icons only represent files and folders and there is no other graphical indication of the content. There is no preview option, or thumbnails that allow you to figure out what the file contains. There are email alerts that let you know whenever a backup is successfully completed, but you can disable these notifications if preferred.
Like the desktop software, the mobile apps are rather simple in terms of design. In the main screen you will see the following options: access, backup and restore, shortcuts and settings. The backup option lets you save SMS texts, call logs, contacts. calendars, apps and media on the cloud. There is an automatic camera upload that lets you back up your photos and videos right after you capture them. The mobile apps do offer an option to preview photos in a gallery format, or with thumbnails.
Unfortunately, the mobile app doesn’t offer the chance to restore to previous versions of files or to perform archive cleanups. Real-time synchronization is not supported, but this is not a surprise, given the fact that iBackup is mainly intended as a security and restoration solution. It is possible to integrate iBackup with Microsoft Outlook to back up emails, although there are not that many additional app integration options available. However, a developer API is available. You can share public links to files via Facebook, Twitter or email. These links take users to a download and preview page to access the file.
Features
One of the main benefits that iBackup offers for businesses is the possibility of creating sub-accounts that can be used by employees to backup their hard drives. Sub-accounts work like a full iBackup account and it is possible to create multiple sub-accounts for team members, using your account space. With a sub-account it is possible to backup as many computers and mobile devices as needed, but you need to stay within your storage capacity. Each sub-account offers the administrator the ability to monitor activities, assign space and see backup reports from a centralized dashboard. The first 10 sub-accounts are available for free and after that, you pay $20 for each additional sub-account.
iBackup also supports Exchange Brick Level, MySQL, Oracle, MS Exchange, MS SharePoint servers and Hyper-V. It also allows system state backups of critical system-related components. Remote and local Linux servers can be backed up with DataCenter edition, which is a web browser solution. With iBackup you can also perform hybrid backups to back up data at the same time to the cloud and to a local drive, internal or external. If you need a restoration, but it is taking too long or it is not possible to download from the cloud, iBackup can send you a physical storage device by post using its Express service.
The last 10 versions of all modified files are stored in the default backup. In addition, it is possible to restore the last 10 versions of entire folders, as well as individual files. You can backup files up to 500MB continuously, while files over 500GB are uploaded in the normally scheduled backups, which can be set to take place every hour or every day. You can save space on your cloud thanks to iBackup’s “archive cleanups”, an option that removes any files from a backup that are not in the original computer anymore. It is possible to choose what percentage of files can be considered for the cleanup and schedule them on a regular basis.
In terms of speed, iBackup offers impressive performance since it offers compression and incremental backups. Some file types are compressed by default during upload, increasing backup speed and saving space in the cloud. Incremental backup checks the timestamp of all files in your selected folders and only updates parts of the files that have been modified, instead of backing up entire files all over again, which saves bandwidth.
Security
Since iBackup is focused on security, you can expect strong performance in this area. All transfers are secured with SSL, which is offers bank-grade security. When the data is in the cloud, 256-bit AES encryption is used to keep it safe. You can use iBackup’s encryption key or create your own one. While using the company’s encryption key can be convenient, it would also put you at risk since you would be using the same encryption as other users who opted for this solution and if iBackup experiences an attack, everyone would be affected.
Choosing your own encryption key is a safer solution that puts security in your hands. The private encryption key is not stored on iBackup servers, meaning that not even the company will be able to decrypt your files. However, it is important to be careful because the private key can’t be changed once it is set. If it is lost, you won’t be able to recover your backups. It is also worth mentioning that iBackup has its own network and it doesn’t rent virtual or physical servers from other providers.
Plans
Currently, you pay $9.95 per month or $99.50 per year for 500GB. 1000GB cost $19.95 per month or $199.50 per year. If you want to get up to 2500GB of storage space, the price that you need to pay is $49.95 per month, or $499.50 per year. For $99.95 per month or $999.50 per year, you get 5000GB. The monthly cost for 10000 GB is $199.95 or $1999.50, if you pay for a full year. There is a free trial that allows you to check the service for 15 days and it offers 50GB of space.
Customer Support
You can reach out to the customer support team by phone between 6 AM and 6 PM PST. You can also submit a ticket at any time of the day, or use the live chat option.
Conclusion
iBackup offers a high level of security and it is a solution specially designed to suit the needs to small businesses. Thanks to features like sub-accounts, it is possible to manage multiple devices without hassle. iBackup is easy to install and it offers great speeds. The main downside is the lack of support for synchronization, but if you are mainly interested in a reliable solution for backing up and restoring your data, iBackup is a strong service to consider.