EMC system backs up data at home or online
EMC Corp. today will unveil a data backup for consumers that lets users store data both at home and on the Internet.
EMC's Iomega external hard drives will include backup software that will let the user sign up for MozyHome, an online backup service that will store unlimited amounts of data at a remote location for $4.95 a month.
Backing up data over the Internet takes far longer than with an external hard drive. But external drives can be stolen or lost in a fire, flood, or other disaster. The MozyHome service provides a backup of the backup, stored in a secure data center.
In addition, MozyHome users can get to their backed-up data from other Internet-connected computers, allowing travelers to easily access important files.
Jonathan Huberman, an EMC executive, said many consumers would pay for the peace of mind offered by the new service.
"I think many people will be interested in having a secondary copy, either for disaster recovery or for remote access," Huberman said.
Besides, EMC offers a version of MozyHome that provides remote backup of two gigabytes of data for free.
Lauren Whitehouse, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group in Milford, said the EMC system offers better security than relying only on an external drive for backup.
"You have the option of storing critical stuff at a location that is off-premise and safe from the threat of fire and flood," she said.
EMC is the leading maker of high-end storage arrays for big businesses and government agencies. But under chief executive Joe Tucci, the company has rolled out products aimed at small businesses, and more recently at consumers. EMC is also expanding into "cloud storage" services, to let customers keep information at remote storage centers and access it via the Internet.
The new backup offering integrates products from three companies EMC has acquired in the last four years. In 2004, EMC bought Dantz Development Corp., maker of data backup software. Last year, it bought the online backup company Mozy. And EMC completed its acquisition of Iomega last month.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
