Online Backup Service Offers Unlimited Storage

LogMeIn on Tuesday unveiled a by-subscription online backup service that features an unlimited amount of storage, since files are backed up to other computers the user owns, not to a central server.

Users install LogMeIn Backup on two or more Windows PCs, said the Woburn, Mass. developer, then designate files and/or folders for automatic backup. The files, which compose what LogMeIn calls Backup Sets, are stored in a proprietary, encrypted, password-protected format on the receiving PC, then restored to the original machine when necessary.

Files and folders are backed up on a user-defined schedule. Both computers must be connected to the Internet at the time the backup is run.

Unlike other online backup services, which charge fees depending on how much server storage space is used, LogMeIn Backup costs a flat $6.95 per month to connect two PCs. Additional machines can be added to the backup network for $5.95 per month.

Although similar file synchronization services -- such as Microsoft's acquisition, FolderShare -- are free, and can be used for impromptu backups (FolderShare, for instance, syncs files on multiple machines, including Macs, whenever changes are made), they're not specifically designed for backing up data.Microsoft Vista, which is scheduled to release to consumers in January 2007 and to businesses in November 2006, will include a feature dubbed "PC-to-PC Sync," which is essentially an integrated version of FolderShare.

It will also include a new backup and restore application, but the data destination will be limited to local or network storage devices, and won't make allowances for storing data to an online service.

More details on LogMeIn Backup can be found on this Web site. A free beta of the service is ongoing, and when it ends, testers will receive an additional week to the paying service free of charge, said a company spokesman.