Data Backup Digest

Backup tools are aplenty and with so much to choose from it can become daunting to choose. One of the many offerings available on the market is Nero BackItUp, now on its 2014 version. This software dons itself as “easy, secure and reliable”, but how true is this? This article will take a look at some of the features on offer, how well the program works and whether it’s worth your buck compared to competitors.

It’s worth pointing out right from the get-go that Nero BackItUp 2014 has an entirely free offering. For the price of nothing, you’re giving 5GB worth of online storage. You can back up an unlimited amount to a local device (like an external hard drive), but there is a reduced feature set over the paid version.

The paid versions come in 5GB, 25GB or unlimited online storage versions, with different price points to match (£15.99/year, £29.99/year and £39.99 for the first year and £49.99/year thereafter, respectively). If you’re shelling out the cash for the program, you’ll get compression, encryption and automatic scheduling added on. Depending on how serious you are about your backup, the latter two are quite essential features.

Automatic scheduling of your backups is ideal because it offers you a piece of mind. You can have daily, weekly or monthly backups; alternatively, you can back up externally every time a change is made to a file.

In terms of usability, Nero BackItUp 2014 is a nice looking piece of software. The design is clean, simple and effective. There is a three-step process to getting your backups set up and then you’re away. Backups shouldn’t have to be complicated and here they aren’t – those who aren’t totally computer proficient should find it easy to get going. The various storage types, like cloud or external drive, are ranked by their level of protection, making things even simpler.

It’s worth bearing in mind that this isn’t a comprehensive backup utility that some advanced users may be after. For example, you cannot copy a full drive like you can in something like R-Image. Also, you cannot create a rolling backup so that the older copy is deleted while the newer one overwrites it. This is a pain and can eat away at storage space; when competitors like Acronis True Image offer it, it’s a shame that Nero don’t offer it here.

In their review of the product, PC Advisor noted that the speed of the program will depend on your upload broadband speeds. They found that 3.76GB worth of files backed up at around 4.56Mb/s. However, changes are tracked after that, so backups should be much quicker after that initial first round.

The program offers apps for Android, Mac and iOS. You can use the program to transfer files between devices and you can use the app to view all the files that you have backed up.

Those looking for a solid, reliable and easy-to-use backup tool would be wise to check out Nero BackItUp 2014. It’s perhaps worth checking out the free version of the software to see whether it’s worth your use. However, those users looking for more advanced software, like full image backups, would be better off with competing products like R-Image.