Feature Set:  

Carbonite offers unlimited storage for a great low price and can support remote access, automatic scheduled backups, file searches and much more. This service makes it easy for you to know what files you have stored by a simple colored status dot and you can perform automatic restoration from anywhere, even remotely, which means from any computer with access to the Internet.

You can also set Carbonite to automatically backup your restored files when your computer is in low use or idle, so it does not use bandwidth resources when you are using the Internet. You can backup restored files individually, all at once or just restore the “missing files.”

Automatic backups can be configured to perform automatically by the day or hour or by advanced options. The advanced options include things like backup every day, Monday-Friday or by specific day and time.

Carbonite makes it amazingly easy for you to store current version of your files virtually hands free. Once you choose the files to store and set the backup rules, it takes care of everything for you.

This service was, however missing a few things that we were looking for like file sharing and sub accounts, though in reality, files can be accessed from any computer with the user name and password assigned to your account, so you could share this information if desired as long as it does not pose a security problem for you. It also does not support a drag and drop tool for file selection, but the right click option is just as fast.

Security:  

This storage service provides double encryption and redundant storage. Access requires passwords and remote access and may also require additional security information such as multiple security questions and a backup email address. You can also use your own encryption codes if you desire. By default files are sent via an SSL connection and even Carbonite employees cannot see your files.

Storage Space/Price:  

This storage service is very well priced at only $54.95 per year, which averages out to less than five dollars per month for unlimited storage. If you opt for the three year plan it averages to only about $3.60 per month, which is a great deal and can save you tons of stress should your hard drive crash.

Ease of Use:  

This online storage service is simple to use and installs quickly. After a fast install you can simply choose an automatic process or the option of storing only the files of your choice. We installed Carbonite’s software onto a computer running XP Pro and chose the manual file storage option. Selecting a file for storage is extremely easy, you just right click a file then select Carbonite and it will automatically store to the service for you; very easy. We were also surprised at how fast the files we chose to store loaded, we chose a large file of images and installed them through a wireless connection and it only took a matter of minutes to load, which is quite impressive.

Help/Support:  

Carbonite posts quite a bit of information online in their FAQs, video type tutorials and searchable knowledgebase. You can submit an email form for support with Carbonite, which will also give you access to telephone and chat support. Through the desktop interface you can also search topics and view tutorials.

We were impressed with the extensive FAQs section. We didn't count the questions answered, but it covers several pages and is searchable. We used this section quite often and did not have a need to contact customer support for more information; all of our questions were answered in this section.

Carbonite provides a good backup and storage option for those that need a reasonably priced solution with unlimited storage and remote access. It is also a good option for those that need full Mac support and automatic backup options. We would have liked to have seen a richer feature set, but the fact that it can pretty much run itself carries a lot of weight as far as making it a practical solution for those that do not want to have to think about backing up their system manually all of the time. Overall, Carbonite is a great online storage service with some good features and a great yearly price for unlimited online storage space.