Shareware

Backup for Workgroups: Time Machine Simplicity on Windows in a More Powerful Package

By EAN ⋅ May 22, 2008 ⋅  Email this Post ⋅  Print this Post ⋅ Post a Comment

[Windows Only]

I’m the kind of guy who likes his computing experience to be simple. An easily accessible interface and a slew of impressive features spells programming perfection for a guy like me. And although I find myself booting up OS X more than any other operating system, there are still quite a few Windows programs that I absolutely adore. One of them is Backup for Workgroups.

There always comes a time when backing up is a pain. Especially if you are working in a small office or have a standard home network. The enterprise guys, with their unlimited budgets, have it easy. It’s those of us who need the high end functionality but lack the funds to buy such programs that have to suffer.

But thanks to Backup for Workgroups, those days are gone. Although the program isn’t the most uniquely named, it does come with a very well rounded set of features. I liken it to a more powerful version of Time Machine for Mac OS X (though Backup for Workgroups is for Windows). Here’s why.

Like Time Machine, Backup for Workgroups has an extremely easy to use interface that even the least sophisticated user can fire up and immediately know how to use. As quick as a snap, the backup software can be copying your files to a wide range of drives, including NAS and SAN solutions. Furthermore, like Time Machine, Backup for Workgroups can schedule backups and run automatically whenever you want. And for speedier backups, it will learn what you’ve stashed away and save updates to only those files in the future.

But Backup for Workgroups actually provides a lot of the features that the Time Machine developers left out. The program can back up more than just files, including Exchange Servers and MS-SQL data. You can also create massive arrays of disks to store data on, instead of choosing just one. Backup for Workgroups will even manage all of the necessary information needed for offsite storage and can encrypt files up to 256 bit. It’ll even send out a daily email report that categorizes and documents all of that day’s backup activities.

Normally, I tend to slam developers for overpricing their programs, but the $99 per computer that Lockstep Systems is charging for their data backup software is actually pretty decent. Lots of functions for an acceptable price. And if that’s not doing it for you, they even offer a 30 day, (mostly) unrestricted trial.

Overall, I highly recommend giving Backup for Workgroups a try. Their software runs fantastically on Vista (32 and 64 bit), XP, and a few other NT based Windows OS’s. Of all of the backup programs out there for small businesses and home users, this is easily one of the best. It takes a lot to stand out in a crowded arena like the backup sector, and these guys have crafted a program that is exactly what I’d love to see more developers head towards. Feature rich and user friendly.

Take them up on their 30 day trial and let me know what you think in the comments below.