Year: 2016

20 Billion Files Restored

On September 1st, we asked you to predict when Backblaze would reach our 20 billion files restored mark. We had a ton of entrants!! Over two thousand people hazarded a guess. It is our pleasure to announce that we’ve finally hit that milestone, and along with it, we’re announcing the winners of our contest. Before… Continue reading 20 Billion Files Restored

Backblaze Restore Rename & Downloader Update

The latest Backblaze Computer Backup enhancement centers around our free web restore process. Disaster recovery (when folks need to restore all of their data) is actually not the most common use of Backblaze restores. What’s more common? Small downloads of just a couple of files. Folks often find themselves either saving over a document or… Continue reading Backblaze Restore Rename & Downloader Update

Backup 101: iCloud Sync and Backblaze Backup

Apple’s iCloud gives Mac and iPhone users an easy way to sync data between devices. Now more than ever, Apple is blurring the line between sync and backup, but don’t mistake iCloud for a true backup solution like Backblaze. Let me say at the outset that this isn’t a warning against using iCloud. I use… Continue reading Backup 101: iCloud Sync and Backblaze Backup

Hard Drive Stats for Q3 2016: Less Is More

In our last report for Q2 2016, we counted 68,813 spinning hard drives in operation. For Q3 2016 we have 67,642 drives, or 1,171 fewer hard drives. Stop, put down that Twitter account, Backblaze is not shrinking. In fact, we’re growing very nicely and are approaching 300 petabytes of data under our management. We have fewer drives because over the last quarter we swapped out more than 3,500 2 terabyte (TB) HGST and WDC hard drives for 2,400 8 TB Seagate drives. So we have fewer drives, but more data. Lots more data! We’ll get into the specifics a little later on, but first, let’s take a look at our Q3 2016 drive stats.

Five Mistakes Everyone Makes With Cloud Backup

Cloud-based storage and file sync services are ubiquitous: Everywhere we turn, new services pop up (and often shut down), promising free or low cost storage of everything and anything on our computers and mobile devices. When you depend on the cloud, it’s very easy to get lulled into a false sense of security. Don’t. Here… Continue reading Five Mistakes Everyone Makes With Cloud Backup

Tech to Track: Cloud Computing and Public Utilities, New Gear From MS and Apple, and More

Here’s another installment of Tech to Track, a list of cool technology links we’re interested in and thought we’d share with you. What Cloud Computing and Public Utilities Have in Common A Florida resident, David Gewirtz, regularly weathers battering storms like the recent Hurricane Matthew. He makes an interesting comparison between public utilities and cloud… Continue reading Tech to Track: Cloud Computing and Public Utilities, New Gear From MS and Apple, and More

Tech to Track

Welcome to a new Backblaze blog feature we’re calling, “Tech to Track.” Each installment gives us a chance to round up links we think are particularly cool or interesting and present them here with a bit of commentary. Unlimited Cloud Storage for Your Photos… If You Have the Right Phone Google’s new Pixel smartphone has… Continue reading Tech to Track

What SMART Stats Tell Us About Hard Drives

What if a hard drive could tell you it was going to fail before it actually did? Is that possible? Each day Backblaze records the SMART stats that are reported by the 67,814 hard drives we have spinning in our Sacramento data center. SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology and is a monitoring… Continue reading What SMART Stats Tell Us About Hard Drives

How Heavy Is the Backblaze Cloud?

The question “How heavy is the Backblaze cloud?” came up in a marketing meeting one Monday afternoon. “One million pounds,” someone guessed. “A hundred thousand pounds,” someone else said trying to sound sure. The truth is we had no idea. “Well, how much does a real cloud weigh?” someone else asked, and at that point,… Continue reading How Heavy Is the Backblaze Cloud?