From: "E. Allen Smith" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 08:49:56 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: NANDO: Backup Program
Message-ID: <01I9FSLFLT349ULPJS@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



	Unfortunately, they're only using DES - probably because they do serve
international customers.

>     _________________________________________________________________
>   The Peanut Roaster
>     _________________________________________________________________
>                  HIAWATHA BRAY: ON-LINE BACKUP SAVES THE DAY
>   __________________________________________________________________________
>      Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net
>      Copyright &copy 1996 The Boston Globe
      
[...]

>   (Sep 6, 1996 01:17 a.m. EDT) -- It's written in almost every computer
>   instruction manual and technical guide. It's encouraged, sometimes
>   even mandated, by MIS lords. Yet it's almost universally ignored.
   
[...]

>   Fortunately, just before the drive when south I had taken up an offer
>   from a company called Connected Corp., of Framingham, Mass., which
>   markets an appealing product called DataSafe.
   
[...]

>   DataSafe is an on-line data backup system. You load the DataSafe
>   software onto your computer then connect via the Internet to
>   Connected's data center. The system asks for a credit card number and
>   a password of your choosing. Once done, DataSafe searches your hard
>   drive, identifies every data file, and uploads them to the DataSafe
>   computer. The system doesn't back up your applications, such as your
>   copy of WordPerfect; just the data files you've created with the
>   software. DataSafe stashes your stuff in two separate computers to
>   ensure nothing is lost.
   
[...]

>   But a dead hard disk works wonders on one's powers of concentration.
>   With all my original data gone, it was time to find out whether this
>   DataSafe really worked. I reinstalled the DataSafe software onto my
>   new hard drive, made the connection with Connected, and waited to
>   receive my files. No dice. I'd forgotten the password. And Connected
>   refused to give it to me or provide me with a new one. That's because
>   the backed-up data is encrypted, and the password is the key. Even the
>   folks at Connected can't crack the encryption without your password.
>   They designed the system that way to reassure customers that nobody
>   can tamper with the data stored there.
   
[...]

>   But many, perhaps most, people can't afford to lose a fragment of
>   data. For them, on-line data backup systems like DataSafe may be the
>   answer. The company charges $14.95 a month to store 50 megabytes of
>   data. The software can be set to automatically back up all new and
>   modified files every day whenever you choose.

[...]
  
>   Businesses can use the system as an inexpensive data network. Just
>   create an account, then give the password to everybody in your
>   company. Now you can store commonly-used files on the backup server,
>   where they can be downloaded by anyone who needs them.
   
>   Connected isn't the only company that has figured this out. MCI Corp.
>   is selling an Internet-based data backup service. So is McAfee
>   Associates, the maker of anti-virus software. Many people will
>   hesitate to store their computer files with a stranger, encryption or
>   no encryption. But if that makes you uneasy, imagine how you'd feel if
>   your hard disk crashed. Unless you're a columnist, it could be a
>   disaster.
   
>   (Hiawatha Bray is a member of the Globe staff. You can send him
>   electronic mail at Bray@globe.com.)
   
[...]

>    Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net