MARUKO DRINKING TEAM  Greaat... I just installed this to try out again, because my existing backup tool isn't behaving well. But to use this, you have to log into your CrashPlan online account. I have my account details and try to log in, but CrashPlan hangs at the "Please wait..." screen, forever.

So, what's the deal, I can't back up when your server is down, or whatever? Lame, and back into the Trash it goes. (Wish it worked, though; sounds nice if it did.)  
(Version 01.06.2009)

ACKSHIEL  This is a GREAT update to an already great tool!

You can now backup to a USB drive.   
(Version 10.09.2008)

AZSOONER  Great solution for office environments.

We use CrashPlan for our disaster recover strategy. We are a graphic design studio that is backing up about 400GB worth of data offsite to a Mac Mini with 1TB drive hooked up to it. The initial backup takes some time, but you can circumvent most of that by doing your first backup over your local LAN and then move your setup offsite.

We also use Retrospect to create daily backups locally, but will abandon that when CrashPlan implements that feature.

Cudos to Code 42 and their hard work and great product support.

My only suggestion, would be to create a user forum linked to their site to minimize questions with solutions that have already been answered and to promote creativity with the product.  
(Version 03.04.2008)

TIMKLEIN  Excellent backup solution! The developers have really thought it through, making CrashPlan easy to use but powerful enough to suit me. I use it to make nightly backups over the Internet to a computer at my parents' house in another state. The backups are encrypted, both in transit and in storage on the remote computer. I never have to mess with it -- it just works! Restoration of files is very easy too.  
(Version 01.14.2008)

MATTETH  Great idea - and works well.

+ On-site and off-site backup

+ Back-up between friends

+ Restore over local network instead of over the internet

+ Backs up constantly and unobtrusively

+ Cross-platform

-You can't store backup as plain, unencrypted files on local etwork

- Java-based. Sometimes system-intensive. Has become better though.

- It would be great to be able to backup to or restore from a local hardddrive, and then move it to another computer as a backup destination.  
(Version 01.14.2008)

DR. GERNOT STARKE  Awesome tool, hides the complexity of distributed-backups completely, runs very smoothly in the background, the pro-version allows for versioned backups (that is, better than time-machine!)

I wrote an extensive overview of a full-scale backup strategy for small offices - and CrashPlan provides a major pillar of it! See http://it-and-more.blogspot.com/2007/11/sh-happens-therefore-everybody-needs.html

Additionally: Great and helpful support.

I use CrashPlan on 5 machines with Win-XP, Mac-OS and Linux.  
(Version 11.06.2007)

ANDYO  Crashplan is a really useful solution to a problem most of us have: it's tedious and/or expensive to backup offsite.

The only cost is a $20 license for the computer you want to back up. (Being the recipient/storage site for backups is free.)

Offsite backup is a critical part of protecting your data. Crashplan makes it easy and cheap. I have used this software to backup from a Mac to a PC. I have used it to allow three different locations to backup to each other. I have restored from backup. It's easy (so easy that I have used it to migrate data from an old computer to a new one).

If you do include a Windows computer in your backup strategy, remember to ensure that your Windows firewall & your security suite firewall (e.g. Norton) will let Crashplan through.

I have a router with a firewall, so I had to open a port on it.

The whole thing is dead easy, though. Two of my locations use Dynamic IP addresses and are behind routers (so they are NATed and use 192.168.x.x addresses). Crashplan just takes care of it.

Crashplan email support is friendly, helpful, and prompt.

This is the offsite backup program that I've needed - I highly recommend it!  
(Version 11.06.2007)

STUWD  Use Crashplan and SuperDuper together and your data will be bullet-proof!

I am paperlight and use my mac for just about everything.

My macbook hard drive died without warning a few weeks ago but I lost nothing - not even the documents I was working on that afternoon! I was up and running again minutes later thanks to this easy routine:

1) I make weekly bootable images with SuperDuper onto an external firewire drive. It doesn't take long as SuperDuper only looks for differences in the images. The most recent was four days before the drive died.

2) Crashplan watches for any changes in my Home folder and uploads these to my windows computer and Crashplan Central - I think it does this every 15 minutes. This is invisible - I'm not even aware of it happening but I can always bring up Crashplan and check.

So... when my hard drive died all I had to do was:

a) Boot up from the external firewire drive;

b) Tell Crashplan to download anything new or changed from the last four days until present.

c) Work off the external hard drive while I figure out what the hell happened to my macbook's internal drive!

It turns out that my drive did indeed die from mechanical failure. Disk Warrior (another good app to look into) couldn't save it.

I'm only giving Crashplan 4/5 for features as I still have to buy a copy of SuperDuper for this particular bullett-proof technique.

There's over a decade of photos, med school studies and financial information kept safely inside file vault on this thing. Needless to say I was quite pleased with my backup plan! I didn't even break a sweat.  
(Version 07.30.2007)

CURTISJ2  Great functionality. Intuitive interface. Outstanding developer support. Highly recommended!!  
(Version 05.15.2007)

FIACRE DOUGLAS  Software is great!! Most exciting software at MacWorld - had to check it out...and WOW ---changed the way I do backups!  
(Version 05.15.2007)