Crashplan Code 42 Review 2020: Should You Buy? (Pros & Cons)

Crashplan is  one of the  most recommended online backup storage service for all your online backup solutions. I would personally highly recommend the service as it is very simple to use for both novice and geeky users. It is developed by an american software company known as Code42 which focuses entirely on customer’ satisfaction. they keep their customers at highest priority thus trusted with more than 37000 business worldwide.

They claim to have 97% customer satisfaction with 98% retention. their customers include seven of the 10 world’s largest technology companies, 10 of the 20 most valuable brands, and seven of the eight Ivy League colleges and universities.  

Crashplan Code 42 Review 2020: Should You Buy? (Pros & Cons)

Crashplan assures you to protect the digital life of its users and give truly unlimited backup. it can backup your windows, apple and linux devices. I love crashplan services not only because it’s inexpensive but it is a genuine feature house for all my backup solutions. so here, i share my own opinion son crashplan services :

Introduction To Crashplan

Before I discuss about the cloud backup company you must watch this video : http://www.code42.com/products/crashplan/

Crashplan being a  part of Code42 was Founded in 2001 and its headquartered is in Minneapolis, Minn. it has a variety of services to choose from : Crashplan basisc, Crashplan advanced, Crashplan PRO and Crashplan PROe for businesses , individuals and enterprises. their techs-savvy diehards have made sure that the crashplan enables IT, security and business teams to limit risk, meet data privacy regulations and recover from data loss.

Backup with Crashplan

Once you have signed up for the Crashplan cloud services, you will notice 3 prominent tabs which are self explanatory and I will give you the details about it.

1) Backup 2. Restore 3. Settings

1. Backup Tab : The tab back up will allow you to backup all your files and folders you select on the “Files” section to the cloud storage service known as Crashplan Central. The central here is the cloud where the data to be backed up is sent if you choose for paid plans of crashplan. Interestingly, Crashplan can also select your attached drives to be backed without any additional cost.

One of the most unique feature in the back up of crashplan is its feature of client to client backup ability that helps you backup encrypted data on your client’s computer if they are a crashplan user and is ready to share some storage space. again, even for this there is no additional cost at all.

Crashplan does the backup simultaneously with the work all the time.Most users can go for “Start Backup,” minimize Crashplan software and never do they have to worry again. CrashPlan is very helpful like that and once you are pro with using Crashplan and not exactly how to use the software and the tools quite assuringly you will never lose your data again. If you are concerned whether the complete backup is completed or not you have an option to get a notification via Email or via Twitter when it is done.

It sends out weekly backup status reports and incase needed it also warns you when data hasn’t been backed up for a few days. The frequency of these email updates can be adjusted and also mention how many files are backed up and when it was last completed.

To everyone’s interest, if your  internet speed is slow or you wish to increase the speed of your back up and get down with it quickly , Crashplan has interesting feature to offer known as “seeded backups”. All you need to do is order an external hard disk(service cost $124.99 and is only available in the US) from crashplan, take the backup and return it back to them. hence, your big data backup takes in just couple of days.

SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

after much use and review, i would say Crashplan is great at backing up all your files and folders without the worry of any data being lost in the middle. with its file detection tool it is able to detect the type of files and do its backup accordingly. if you backup heavy data it might take time, but if you have hour to hour or minute to minute backup schedule it usually would not take much time. it is much better than Carbonite, backblaze etc.

2) Restoration with Crashplan

Restore is the vital part of backup and has no significance of its own without it. Always ,make sure you read about the restoration process or keep performing restores just to check your backup is safe and you do not lose on your important data.

With Crashplan restoration of the data is an easy task like backing up. All you have to do is to click the “restore” tab in the desktop app and then you will see all your backed up data. From this data you can select the files and folders you want to revive and they will instantaneously download the data. You can also search by a name or specific extension, like .jpg or png. Furthermore You can choose any location you want to restore your files and folders even an external hard drive.

There are 3 options Crashplan has to offer you here:

⦁ select a date and time of file to restore it back or Restore the most recent version of a file

⦁ Restore to the desktop,new folder, hard drive original destination

⦁ Rename or overwrite existing files

You can also restore upto 500MB data from the CrashPlan website or if you belong to a particular country where crashplan gives offline services you can have your files shipped to you on a USB hard drive via FedEx upto 3.5 TB.

3. Settings

In the settings tab,You can customize your own schedule and file versioning settings for everything from network speed limits to custom backup sets. Backup sets is an option which let you choose  folders to get backed up, and their location where they get backed up to.

For example, if  space in  external device is limited on a colleague’s computer, you can control which folders to get backed up there or you could limit it to local backups. CrashPlan also include settings like CPU priority, Email alerts, Backup running and deletion etc. Also, you must know crashplan backs up new versions of files every 15 minutes, by default.

Understanding its maintenance settings is a bit cumbersome so I have made it easier for you to understand once and for all. CrashPlan is designed in a fashion where it would undertake off site backups for  “shallow maintenance” weekly and “deep maintenance” on a  monthly basis. As mentioned on the Crashplan site, they do a deep analysis of the data, detect errors and seek the required maintenance. However, the local and cloud backups also undergo maintenance, every 28 days. So need not worry, all backups are secured against data corruption.

Features And Mobile App

Crashplan has Triple Destination Protection wherein it keeps protection, speed and access of local, offsite and online data completely secure. Crashplan has basic and unusual features like Laptop battery saving mode, Backup only when idle mode, Email alerts, Password protect desktop app, File exclusions, Backup pruning and deletion etc and a lot more.

Scheduling your backup

Though Crashplan will run your backup continuously, if you want you can still schedule your backups at a certain time or on a certain day. You can also set it to back up only when the computer is in the idle state. for example if you are out for a meeting or at college, Crashplan will take care of backing up your data.

Backup sets

With backup sets enabled, you will have the flexibility to create additional backup sets so that different groups of files can back up to different locations and with different settings. e.g music files at a certain place and documents at a different location. You can also copy, rename and remove backup sets.

Frequency and version settings

With Crashplan central there is no limit to the number of file versioning. it’s easy to go back in time and choose any copy you like of the file you have backed up in the past.

CrashPlan for Home that is family subscriptions surprisingly allows you to back up as many as ten computers under just a single account. it also helps you to track back up of all the family members data, which in turn makes the data for entire family safe and cross checked all the time. this feature can help families build legacies of beautiful memories.

Deleted File Protection

OMG! who on the earth would not want that ? as clearly and honestly said, CrashPlan Central cloud is a regret-free zone. it keeps your deleted file for literally forever until and unless you do not want that. so if you ever like ever delete any file accidently or need to revive the file you will never have panic attack with it, making it my favourite feature since i tend to delete a lot of important files. so no regrets now !

MOBILE APP

This mobile app has made your digital life at your fingertips. It is well supported with ios and android users. You will have access to all the data and also this will help you to save and share data with your friends which otherwise is not a feature with Crashplan. You will always have the latest versions of the file with you however downloading speed on mobiles can be a little slow which I hope they improve it.

MUST WATCH VIDEO:  https://www.code42.com/crashplan/features/mobile/

Security

Irrespective of the fact that you are an individual or a company Crashplan takes your security seriously. as i mentioned earlier, Crashplan assures the security of user’s digital life.

They have gone an extra mile to ensure the data centers comply with military-grade security standards and match to industry best practices for power redundancy, cooling and fire protection. its subscribers are protected via 448-bit encryption which includes a private key option as well making the security virtually impenetrable.

The first line of defense is to prevent unauthorised access to the data by a password protected user interface. The second line of defense surrounds before your data even leaves your machine. For more protection, you can replace and set your own data key with the Crashplan encrypted key, but make sure you don’t lose it. oce lost ven crashplan would not be able to help you.

As mentioned on their site : https://www.code42.com/crashplan/features/security/  , I would like you to know the following informtion :

‘Code42’ regards data security as the most important component of CrashPlan backup services. Data security and privacy concerns are addressed by employing a multi-layered security model that includes transmission security, account security (access), password security, encryption security and secure messaging. On the application side, CrashPlan runs within the confines of a secure Java virtual machine using industry standard cryptographic algorithms.’

Pricing Plans Of Crashplan

cumbersome for a few but but simplistic for majority,Crashplan has multiple budget plans for all its users according to their requirement. some basic features are same in all like it is Available for Windows, Mac and Linux, it supports Backup to other computers and maintains Back up to your external drives.

Free plan : it supports Automatic backup to local external drives and other trusted computers.

⦁ 30days cloud backup

⦁ Automatic, once-daily backups

⦁ 448-bit file encryption, Online documentation and user forums

⦁ Basic Online support etc.

Individual Plan : Add unlimited cloud storage, continuous backup and mobile file access.

⦁ $ 59.99 (-17%) i.e $5.99/month  with one year subscription

⦁ Unlimited cloud backup space for 1 computer

⦁ Unlimited online storage

⦁ Continuous, minute-by-minute backups

⦁ 448-bit file encryption

⦁ Customer Champions via web, chat, or phone

⦁ Access files via the CrashPlan mobile app

⦁ Restore files from any web browser etc.

Family Plan : Expand unlimited back up to the whole family

⦁ $149.99  (-11%) i.e $12.50/month with one year subscription

⦁ Unlimited cloud backup space for 2-10 computer

⦁ Unlimited online storage

⦁ Continuous, minute-by-minute backups

⦁ 448-bit file encryption

⦁ Customer Champions via web, chat, or phone

⦁ Access files via the CrashPlan mobile app

⦁ Restore files from any web browser etc.

Business/Work : Protect all business data via easy, secure online backup for laptops and desktops.

⦁ $10/month per computer

⦁ Unlimited online storage for unlimited computers

⦁ Continuous, minute-by-minute backups

⦁ AES-256 file encryption

⦁ Customer Champions via web, chat, or phone

⦁ 24/7 phone support for severe issues

⦁ Access files via the CrashPlan mobile app

⦁ Restore files from any web browser

⦁ Real time dashboard/reporting etc.

Before you buy this FAQ might be of help to you :

Can I try before I buy?

Yes, CrashPlan is free to download, and the paid features are available to try for 30 days, including online backup to CrashPlan Central. After 30 days, CrashPlan will revert to the free version, and certain features like online backup will no longer be available, but you can continue to back up to local drives and other computers indefinitely.

Support

By far all the cloud storage reviews I have done, Crashplan has one of the best customer support forums. Apart from the rare facility i.e raising ticket and solving the issue it provides its end-users  tech support via email, live chat, and phone.Live chat is available on weekdays during 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. Phone support is also available  on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on weekends from 9.a.m. to 5 p.m.

Not only this Crashplan also offers FAQ’s, discussion forums, feedbacks, user forums where you can make new request as well as check your old queries as well.

Should  you buy Crashplan ? Crashplan Code 42 Review 2020: Should You Buy? (Pros & Cons)

In the end I would highly recommend it to all my friends and family members as its features are unique and it’s a highly trusted company. It can help you back up not only on hourly basis but shockingly yes it provides you minute by minute backup as well. The amount of customisation it has to offers to its users in the settings is also unbelievable. if you still wish to look for more options you have sync.com, idrive, carbonite etc.