Backup Features:  

In terms of basic backup tools Mozy provides just about everything we were looking for including automatic and scheduled backups, incremental backups, version support and an easy to use file manager. It can also backup open files and Outlook.

The Pro version will let you add sub-administrators with shared or individual memory allocation and it will let you distribute license keys. The Pro version also offers all of the same tools as the home version, just with more abilities in the area of group configuration and memory sharing.

Remote/ Mobile/ Web Access:  

Mozy has little to offer in this area, in fact when we searched using the words “share” and sharing” in the Mozy Pro data sheet we received zero results. Using Mozy you can access your files from the Internet and from other computers, however restoring to a second computer requires an additional license.

The home version does not support file sharing or shared links, the pro version will support sharing of information between licensed users. Mozy also does not offer cell phone features.

Security:  

Mozy provides good security with 128–bit SSL secure transfers and 448-bit Blowfish encryption for storage; you can also use your own 256–bit AES encryption key if you are using the Pro version. Their data centers are also SAS70 certified.

Backup Space/ Price:  

Mozy pricing for the personal version is its star selling feature; unlimited memory for home users is only $4.95 per month and unlike many services you can opt to pay by the month instead of a year or two at once. The Pro and Server versions are priced per license and per GB at 50 cents per GB/month. This could add up pretty fast, for example one license ($3.95) plus 50GB per month would be $28.95.

Ease of Use:  

The desktop interface and the online control panel are easy to use. It is designed to run on its own and can be configured to run your automatic backups rather quickly.

Help/Support:  

You can contact Mozy by telephone or email for support, they also post some information online such as data sheets, FAQs and a blog. We contacted them by email regarding an error in the desktop interface and did not receive an email back as fast as we would like, nor did we receive verification that our email had been received. We also felt that online they offered more information on why you need to use Mozy rather than actually giving detailed information about the product, especially in regards to the home version.

For home users that just want to backup files hands-free, Mozy is a good online backup service. However, if you want file sharing tools this is not the service for you. The Pro version offers more tools, but charges by the GB, which can add up rather quickly especially if you have multiple users. For more of the best online data backup solutions, consider SugarSync, Dropbox and IBackup.