You gotta be connected

To get up and running I downloaded and installed an agent, which runs on my PC as a little icon in the system tray. I then had to specify which files I wanted to back up - for me, this was the My Documents directory, and the elusive little place where Microsoft insists on hiding my Outlook inbox. (Yes, I did try moving it a couple of years ago, but nothing ever worked as it should after that, so I learned my lesson) And if you're looking, try right-clicking on Personal Folders in Outlook and selecting Properties: it's in there somewhere.

After that, once every couple of days, I let the backup software chunter away and do its stuff. There is probably a more efficient way to identify if any files have changed, than to scan the entire directory structure every time, but this has not been a major issue.

Indeed, six months on, there have been very few major issues. The only one I can think of is how the Connected client works with large files – again, it’s not all that bright. If I shift stuff around from one place to another on my hard drive, it doesn't tend to realise that they are the same, and so it performs a new backup. And while I understand that the client should be coping with Outlook files (which can become very large), it doesn't always seem to do what is necessary, particularly with offline folders. This can be a pain if I've been shifting information from one offline folder to another. These are niggles, rather than showstoppers.

On the plus side, I now have a facility on my computer which ensures that every change to my own information is being saved offsite. The Explorer view in the Connected client shows me what has been backed up, and restoration is a simple matter of selecting a file or folder and requesting the restore. I can choose to see only the most recent versions of files, or multiple versions. There's no hunting through CDs, no chasing the person who knows how to load the jukebox. Job done. I confess I haven't done a complete bare-metal restore of all my data using this service - that first 1.5Gb download was off-putting - but the omens are good.

One thing well

Connected.com demonstrates that it is possible to run an Internet-based service cost-effectively and deliver real value to the user. The company does a single thing well, which is probably the best approach for all parties. Connected can concentrate on how to make the best use of its own IT infrastructure, for example, using the most cos- effective storage arrays, and shifting data between fast, expensive disks and slower, cheaper storage as necessary. Its pricing makes the package accessible to all but the most tight-fisted of users (these are likely to be the anal ones anyway, so they're more than capable to do their own backups).

ASPs died because the level of service they could provide wasn't considered up to scratch. There are some examples of companies that have emerged from the ashes, the (too)frequently quoted example is salesforce.com - but good on 'em, if they've made the business work. There will be others, each meeting different needs - for example, Web-based email security and compliance providers, such as MessageLabs, Black Spider and Zantaz. Each is doing one thing well, meaning that the onus is on each organisation to decide how best to use the right combination of services.

Several companies provide similar services to Connected.com, but they're all arriving from different perspectives. Hosted providers of Microsoft Sharepoint such as Cobweb, for example, enable users to upload information to Web-based servers so they can be shared - and the backup is delivered as part of the package. Companies delivering file transfer management, for example, Akamai, that provides the backbone for Apple's iTunes, are also enabling resilient file sharing. Peer to peer file sharing companies, for example, Groove, provide a level of data integrity by virtue of the fact that files are replicated between everyone in a workgroup.

None of these companies would consider themselves to be in competition with each other, but they offer a set of overlapping facets of a nebulous, nameless service that ensures both data accessibility and integrity, anywhere, any time. We are already used to somebody else having access to most of our data (how many people encrypt their emails before sending them?) so the idea of Web-based storage should not be too offensive.

So why are facilities such as online backup are not delivered as bundled services from the likes of Dell or HP, in the same way that they bundle anti-virus software? Perhaps it's only a matter of time; and it is highly likely that it will be only through OEM deals that offerings such as Connected.com will reach the mainstream.

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