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PutPlace Online Backup Review

Review of Online Data Backup Site PutPlace.com

I’ve been testing out Irish site www.putplace.com today for a client and was quite impressed by it – using it myself now! Its an online Storage & Data Backup website and its VERY easy to use which is refreshing in this day and age when theres a lot of over the top content and functionality on the websites we visit.

You just sign up for a FREE (beta) account giving you UNLIMITED storage space for the duration of the beta. You then download an 8MB desktop application which handles your backups. Both the website and desktop software are very minimalist and very easy to use with only a handful of functions. Basically, you add a folder from your computer to backup, give it a name and click create and it saves it in your list AND uploads it to your putplace account.

The coolest part of it though is – when you modify or add a file to any folder you’ve added to the Putplace desktop application, it automatically uploads the changes to putplace there and then so if you leave it running and have broadband then you have a great, simple & automated backup solution.

Of course if you don’t have broadband then no online backup system will work well for you but don’t get me started on that!

Leon.

Rated 4/5 on Jul 8 2008

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Posted in How to Guides, Reviews on July 8th, 2008
Tags: online backup, online storage, putplace, putplace.com
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http://putplace.com Joe Drumgoole

Hi Leon,

Thanks for the review, much appreciated. Just wanted to mention that there is no limit to how much you can upload during the beta. We currently store everything in Amazon S3, but plan to allow you to choose your own online storage solution in the future.

all the best,

Joe Drumgoole
CEO
PutPlace.com
Pingback: Web 2.0 Ireland » Blog Archive » Tuesday Push Round One
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

I’ve amended that Joe. When its out of beta will there be any free space or is it pay as you go?
http://putplace.com Joe Drumgoole

There will be a small amount of free space (2GB?) and then storage plans offering 20, 50 and 100GB of storage. Prices to be set up probably 2 5 and 10 euros a month.
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

Thats excellent value, well done. I’ll be recommending it to everyone!
Paul Flynn

I’ve looked at a few backup solutions for clients and am about to set a few up with a Dublin based provider. What does Putplace have that the rest don’t?
On a separate note, this blog sounds like an advertisement for put place
http://putplace.com Joe Drumgoole

Paul,

I’d need to know who the rest are Drop me a line to Joe.Drumgoole (at) putplace.com and I can give you the full low down.

Joe.
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

The only other one I’ve checked is the raw Amazon S3 itself, on which Putplace is based, using the firefox S3 plugin but this isn’t automated or as simple as Putplace. Doesn’t have 2GB FREE either.

This POST, not Blog IS an advertisement for Putplace cause I like Putplace and its my blog!!
http://www.backupanytime.com John ONeill

Hi Leon
Are you going to review any other online backup services?
I would be pleased to facilitate a trial of backupanytimes offering.
I also think it would add value to your bog as a review of one product wth no alternatives is not much for Joe Public to guage from.

Thanks

John
http://www.backupanytime.com/blog
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

I hadn’t intended to review a pile of online backup services, wouldn’t have the time really. This Putplace review is here because I came across it first and felt it deserved a review, I wasn’t planning on doing a comparison feature and I never said it was better than any other so I’m not going to be responsible for what Mr Public does!

Sounds like a few people are scared of Putplace or jealous of its attention!?

Anyway, I’ll be happy to review Backupanytime.com but it might not turn out to be good!

Leon
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

@Joe By the way Joe are you aware that you can’t be found for the search term “online Backup” (apart from this blog!) or maybe you don’t want to be!?
http://putplace.com Joe Drumgoole

John,

We are strictly speaking not targetting businesses (for instance we have no encryption baked in at the moment). However we get lots of enquiries from businesses. Give me a call and we can probably work out some kind of referral scheme.

Joe. ( you can email me Joe At putplace.com ).
http://www.backupanytime.com John ONeill

Leon
I’d say we are more respectful of putplace than scared as can be seen for this post on our own blog.

http://backupanytime.com/blog/index.php

Putplace cater for a differnet market with a very differnet type of product.
I only asked if you were going to review other online backup products (some we may be scared of (: ) as this is about the only independent site which can be found in Ireland when doing a search for online backup reviews. Most of the others are biased as a consequence of being in the business such as our site which is visible when searching for online backup reviews but which could hardly be seen as objective considering our business.

Mike pp John
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

Thanks for bringing that fact re this blog being found in google to my attention, always nice to see. You better be nice to me now!!
http://www.databackup.ie Tom O’C

I have to say putplace has been getting some excellent press todate
Steven

We’re quite a few months later now, and I’m looking at putspace too. Some remarks I want to share:

1) There seems to be no information on the site about restores. That part remains mysteriously empty in the FAQ.

2) There is a “fair use policy”, but I haven’t found it. I would want to read that one before I sign up.

3) Pricing is good, but perhaps a bit too good. 100 euros for 80GB for a year, and all this using Amazon S3. But, if you compare that with the price of Amazon S3 itself, it is actually cheaper than going direct.

Let’s take the Jungledisk storage prices in the EU, for example: 18 dollarcents per GB-month of storage used (I’ll ignore the transfer prices). That is 80GB x 0.18 x 12 = 172.8 USD or 127.24 euro.

That means one of three things (or all):

a) Putplace will be in trouble if the conversion rate goes up
b) They get a VERY big discount from Amazon
c) They actually hope that people with the 20GB accounts don’t store half as much

I like the idea of a bond being in place, so that download is “guaranteed” should they go under, but I’m not too enthusiast as long as these questions remain. And as I go through their sites, with links missing in the FAQ, I’m wondering if the service is still there and viable. It gives me the impression that a lot is not ready yet. Not an impression of solidness I would like to get from a backup solution, if you know what I mean.

Still, I might give the software a spin. Maybe I can figure out the “restore” questions myself.

Leon, how is your experience sofar? Any updates on the review (now that they seem to have moved out of beta)?
http://putplace.com Joe Drumgoole

Hi Steven,

1. You can restore directly from the client using the download button or you can activate restores from the server and the client will initiate. Or finally you can just download each file individually from the web service.

2. Yep, the fair use is a place holder. We may choose to deploy one on the future.

If you use the invitation code “joe” you will get three months free. That should be enough time to work out whether we can do everything you want.

Joe.
CTO and Founder, PutPlace.com

3. Pricing is comparable to our competitors in the US. With server side compression and file de-duplication we can make money at all plan sizes.
http://www.reverbstudios.ie Leon

Steven, I decided to stick with them past beta, can’t beat the price really. Not much to add re my experience so far, once you setup your backups, you rarely need to go near the thing again! There have been no ‘events’, good or bad!

I should mention one small thing that just came to my attention today actually when I was trying to get hold of some client passwords from a different pc. In my account on Putplace.com, the particular folder that I had password files in all show up empty. They are mostly .eml, .txt and .msg files.

Maybe Joe can shed some light?