As of the end of Q3 2015, there were 50,228 drives spinning in the Backblaze datacenter. Subtracting boot drives, drive models with less than 45 drives and drives in testing systems, we are publishing data on 49,056 hard drives spread across 26 different models, varying from 1.0TB to 8.0TB in size.
Year: 2015
Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage Frequent Questions
Editor’s note: This post reflects pricing at the time it was published. Backblaze B2 is now priced at $6/TB/month with free egress up to 3x monthly storage. We’ve had a lot of interest and many questions since announcing Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage last week and we want to thank you for engaging with us on… Continue reading Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage Frequent Questions
Data Storage Technologies of the Future
If someone from the future—two decades or two centuries from now—traveled back in time to today, they’d probably chuckle at our use of hard drives and USB sticks, the way we now wonder how we ever survived with floppy disks and Zip drives. Want a peek at the kinds of storage devices we’ll be using… Continue reading Data Storage Technologies of the Future
Adding Google Drive to Your Backup Plan
Backing up your Google documents seems rather redundant doesn’t it? Google does that stuff for you, right? However, forgetting to back up your Google items is something you could deeply regret. There are a few common reasons for this error and some easy ways to prevent it. Risk of Accidental Deletion or Removal Although Google… Continue reading Adding Google Drive to Your Backup Plan
The B2 Cloud Storage Launch, What’s Next?
On Tuesday, the 22nd, Backblaze announced Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage to the world. The response has been amazing. The B2 announcement was covered by many leading tech sites including TechCrunch, Fortune, The Next Web and many more.
Backblaze B2: The World’s Lowest Cost Cloud Storage
Ever since we open-sourced the original Backblaze Storage Pod and shared our storage costs, people have been saying, “I love your backup service, but I need a place to just store data. Can you give me direct access to your cloud storage?” After a year of hard work and tremendous excitement from our team, I’m delighted that today the answer is, “Yes!” We are announcing a brand new service, Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage.
Eight Highlights in Storage Pod Evolution
In September 2009, we introduced the Backblaze Storage Pod to the storage community. We then open-sourced the Storage Pod’s hardware design, and included a parts list, assembly instructions, and a cool 3D Storage Pod model. This enabled anyone with the desire and ability to create their own storage system. Over the past six years, we’ve… Continue reading Eight Highlights in Storage Pod Evolution
Know Before You Go: Reshoring Manufacturing Services Back to the U.S.
Reshoring is a hot topic these days. How hot? Consider the following: According to some estimates, US-based companies anticipate reshoring 20% of their manufacturing capacity within the next five to seven years. (Source: Reshoring Institute.) In a recent study conducted by Boston Consulting Group, it was found that 54% of all US companies with over… Continue reading Know Before You Go: Reshoring Manufacturing Services Back to the U.S.
Backblaze Release 4.0.4
We’ve updated our Backblaze client to version 4.0.4. This is a fairly minor release; there are a few key changes. Windows: Designed with latest Visual Studio 15 Updated to latest OpenSSL, resulting in increased performance and security Minor tweaks and fixes Mac: Support for Mac OS X 10.11 “El Capitan” Flame icon changes Minor tweaks… Continue reading Backblaze Release 4.0.4
The Faceplate for the Next Storage Pod: What Do You Think?
We have over 1,000 Backblaze Storage Pods storing over 150 petabytes of data. Who cares what they look like as long as they work, right? Turns out lots of people care—they care a lot. And it’s not just the folks in the data center, nearly everyone here at Backblaze has an opinion—marketing, engineering, sales, finance,… Continue reading The Faceplate for the Next Storage Pod: What Do You Think?
Don’t Build a Billion-Dollar Business. Really.
The better goal? Keep your head down, make a great product, and build a successful business. Silicon Valley prays at the altar of the billion-dollar business. And for good reason: These companies define industries, give the founders so-called “F-you money,” and provide VCs with a return that can counterbalance a dozen lousy investments. I don’t… Continue reading Don’t Build a Billion-Dollar Business. Really.
A Behind the Scenes Look at Designing the Next Storage Pod
Tim holds up a drive beam and shows the design to Matt, who is attending the meeting courtesy of a telepresence robot. They are discussing the results of a prototype Storage Pod developed using Agile development methodology applied to hardware design. The Storage Pod they are discussing was the result of the fifth sprint (iteration)… Continue reading A Behind the Scenes Look at Designing the Next Storage Pod
TurboTax Ends Backup to Cloud Service
In early 2015, a limited number of customers who used the TurboTax® desktop software were offered the opportunity to save their 2014 tax returns in the Turbo Tax cloud—for free. In early July, TurboTax decided to end their Backup to Cloud pilot program and sent those users an email notifying them that the program was… Continue reading TurboTax Ends Backup to Cloud Service
Five Dorm Life Tips From a Resident Assistant
College student or a parent of one? Here are five things you may want to think about before heading out to the dorms. My qualifications? I was a Resident Assistant in college, spending three years taking care of a co-ed floor with 70+ residents. It was hard work, but I learned a lot in the… Continue reading Five Dorm Life Tips From a Resident Assistant
How to Use Free Cloud Storage and Unlimited Online Backup Together
Where do you store your files? This has become a modern dilemma, thanks to the proliferation of online storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive and online backup services like Backblaze. Using multiple services offers additional protection for your precious data, but you don’t want your files scattered everywhere either. Here’s my layered approach for… Continue reading How to Use Free Cloud Storage and Unlimited Online Backup Together
A 16TB SSD: OMG
It was reported today by Ars Technica UK, Slash Gear, and others, that Samsung is introducing a 16TB SSD. The world’s largest hard drive was unveiled at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California. What’s even more amazing is the 2.5″ form factor—it would fit in your laptop. Before you run out (OK, log… Continue reading A 16TB SSD: OMG
Backblaze Labs: Center for Hardware Design
In September 2009, Backblaze introduced and open sourced our Storage Pod 1.0 design. Storage Pod 1.0 was the result of an iterative yet informal design process where ideas were designed, built, tested, and evaluated in a matter weeks and sometimes days. Rapid iteration was key, but over time, with each major Storage Pod release, rapid… Continue reading Backblaze Labs: Center for Hardware Design
World Traveler Kendall Settles In…tern
The summer is coming to a close, but we decided to add another intern in to the mix. Kendall is joining us for a few weeks to work on a few “special ops” projects before heading back the UK to finish off her last year of boarding school. Kendall loves to travel, and we’re happy… Continue reading World Traveler Kendall Settles In…tern