CrashPlan Pro: Backup for Business

Crashplan Pro is a cross-platform backup solution made by a company called Code 42 software. CompuCraft discovered Crashplan Pro earlier this year and has been quite impressed by this piece of backup software. Crashplan Pro was developed when Code 42 had a need to protect their own data and built a product to do just that.

The idea behind backup is simple. Store a copy of your data somewhere else so that if something terrible happens you can get it back. Crashplan Pro maintains this simple philosophy as well. Crashplan Pro uses a "pro server" that houses all of the backup data from the clients that are connected to it. The pro server backs up all of the clients continuously in real time; as files change on the backup client they are copied to the pro server for safe keeping. There are many advantages to this type of continuous backup methodology. A prime advantage is the ability to recover recently deleted or accidentally changed files.

Crashplan Pro is geared toward mobile computing. While Crashplan Pro can backup desktops with ease it really shines when backing up notebook computers. Its clear that the folks at Code42 understand that most of today's computer users are using notebooks. Crashplan handles frequent network location changes, sleeping and waking, and network throttling with ease. These are historically areas where other Mac backup products have struggled. Crashplan Pro also enables mobile users to continue backing up their notebooks when they are away from the office by backing up over the Internet to the pro server that is hosted at their office (or other locations). This is a great benefit for anyone who travels frequently and spends little time in the office.

Crashplan Pro works great on the Mac (Intel or PowerPC, 10.4 or later), but is also runs on Windows and Linux. The server side of Crashplan Pro can also be run in virtualization through VMware.

One of the biggest things that Crashplan Pro gets right is logging and reporting. These are two areas that backup programs in general have struggled to implement correctly in the past. Knowing that your backup plan is working correctly gives you a great sense of confidence that your files will be there when you need them. Unfortunately if this process is too time consuming many of us just won't do it. Crashplan Pro sends nightly backup reports via email to the individual users and also a backup overview report to the backup administrator. These brief emails give you a quick snapshot of how your backup is working. At a glance it is easy to see wether or not there are major issues or if everything is working well. If you do notice a problem, Crashplan Pro has an enormous wealth of information about the client's backup activities that is easily accessed through the server's web-based interface.

Crashplan Pro is a great mixed environment backup solution. Contact CompuCraft today to discuss how your office can benefit from a backup solution powered by Crashplan Pro. 

Article by Chad McDonald, Senior Systems Engineer