Logme in LogMeIn Backup review

LogMeIn Backup is a remote backup service that enables you to archive data between two or more computers over the internet.

Rather than risking your data to scratch-prone CDs, a hard disk partition or an anonymous internet server, you can keep all your important files safe on another of your own computers, or a friend's. LogMeIn Backup sends data peer to peer using 256-bit SSL encryption, and you can password-protect it to keep it safe from prying eyes, even those of your friend.

You can save each set of backup files manually or schedule an automatic backup every day, week or month at a specified time. For this to be effective, though, you must make sure that both computers are online at that time; with the slow death of the dial-up internet connection, this shouldn't be too much trouble. The only limit to the amount of data you can back up is the space available on the destination computers.

Creating backup sets and schedules is easy. You simply select the files that you want to save, choose the computer you want to store them on and set a schedule. With this approach, you can back up files that change frequently, such as emails, every day, while less volatile files can be saved less often.

Restoring your files to a new computer or a fresh installation of your old one is simply a case of logging on to the LogMeIn backup website and adding your new computer to your account. You then have full access to the remote computer and your files.

A similar product called BuddyBackup, from Databarracks, is available for free with a 5GB maximum storage limit. However, BuddyBackup is considerably less sophisticated and harder to navigate. If you have a second computer or a willing accomplice then LogMeIn Backup is a great way to protect your files, and at less than £4 a month it's inexpensive, too.

Author: David McKinnon