Mike Pav

Austin, Texas-based startup Spanning has embraced the concept of cloud computing so much that its product is a backup service for Google Apps — completely hosted and run from Amazon Web Services. The idea of backing up one cloud service via another was intriguing enough that I asked Mike Pav, the VP of engineering at Spanning, how he does it.

Spanning charges people or businesses a year to back up Google Apps, including email and documents, against the user somehow deleting or losing them. Google will support users if it loses their data, but it won’t go searching for your files if you mess up.

Spanning CEO Charlie Wood is confident enough that Google won’t get into extended services like backup that he’s sticking with this, although he’s also looking for new lines of business as the company continues to grow. To that end, the company is seeking its next round of funding after having raised a million Series A round last April.

Building a backup cloud in the cloud

Building a cloud-based backup for a cloud service requires a devotion to reliability and planning for worst-case scenarios. Creating a backup service in Amazon Web services is never done, said Pav, as he explained some of the techniques he’s used to support Spanning while also trying to keep costs in line. “For example, a single point of failure for us was our database, but we just finished up a big project to partition our database,” Pav said. “We have to focus on the path and not the destination, because as far as scalability is concerned, we’ll never be done. That’s our real barrier to entry.”

The Spanning engineering team.

Spanning adds terabytes of storage each month, and it uses Amazon because it makes automatic scaling seamless. “It would be terrible if we had to rack our own drives into an array to deal with that,” Pav says. Spanning stores all the content on S3 because it guarantees high reliability, but the getting the data to S3 can be slow. To address this, Spanning uses parallel access, which helps address the speed of S3, but also provides an added benefit in terms of scalability and reliability.

Designing messaging so dying VMs won’t take out your data

Spanning uses Amazon SQS to queue work to a pool of virtual resources that grows and shrinks based on load. Pav’s team has set up Spanning’s application to track the incoming flow of data to EC2 and make sure each time the system is about to back up new content, it checks to see if the EC2 instance is about to shut down. If it is, the in-progress backup requeues its work-in-progress so another server can pick up this work when AWS adds another server from the pool. That way, the backup doesn’t have to start all over again.

This is important when dealing with potentially large sets of data. Pav says Amazon offers several different models for queue management, but simplicity and scalability are the driving features for Spanning. “When you’re dealing with large data sets for a large number of users, you can’t afford to do anything twice.”

Don’t do anything Amazon will do for you

From storing papers to storing packets.

Spanning uses Amazon Relational Database (RDS) for its persistent database storage, although it does impose limitations on how much data Spanning can store and the throughput it can support on any single database instance. Pav admits this limits his partitioning strategies, but he’s willing to work within those limits, because it cuts his need to support and build his own data store.

“We want to get out of the business of spending time managing these things. We can solve this problem at the application’s architectural level to make sure it scales,” he said. “RDS may not be the highest-performance option, but we are able to reduce investment into something that’s not core to our business and by making good application level architectural decisions we can render the RDS performance issue moot.”

Amazon has changed not just the economics of building an IT service, but also helps make his product better and faster at less cost to him and his team. Pav notes that because of the reliability of Spanning on Amazon and his confidence that user data won’t be lost, he deploys new code when features are ready, and often in the middle of the day when his team is fresh. This is a big shift from the older days of waiting until late at night when theoretically fewer users are online to feel any disruptions.

Of course, with a large customer base all over the world and a growing one in North America, Pav points out that in today’s distributed world, there really is no more middle of the night.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• A field guide to cloud computing: current trends, future opportunities
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With so much of our lives stored in the cloud, there’s a cottage industry sprouting up around helping us search across our personal data. Backupify is getting into the act by launching CloudSight Search, a new service that lets users search for data across cloud-based accounts but also restore them in their original location.

CloudSight, which will launch in private beta, follows the path of start-ups like Greplin, CloudMagic and the recently announced Primadesk. But it adds in Backupify’s experience in backing up and restoring data. CloudSight Search will be available to Backupify users and will be activated after they back-up their data. It will support Facebook, Twitter, Google Apps, Flickr, Picasa, LinkedIn and other services. CloudSight filters results based on keyword, by date, and by the type of service to deliver the most relevant data first.

It’s an interesting idea that goes beyond personal data search functions popularized by Greplin. Newer start-ups are not only looking to help users find their information but do something with it. Primadesk, for example, lets users manage their data from one account so they can get a unified e-mail inbox for all their accounts or drag and drop pictures from one photo service to another. Rob May, co-founder and CEO of Backupify said social search services need to do more than just search now.

“Emerging social search engines are exciting but limited in that they only let you locate information – not restore it if it was deleted or view it if your cloud service is unavailable,” said May. In short, it’s not enough to have search in the cloud, you have to be able to manage and manipulate that data across services whenever you want in this “post-PC era.”

Backupify is also trying to appeal to enterprise customers with CloudSight Search, saying that it will help social media and compliance workers track online customer-facing corporate communications across cloud platforms. Google Apps domain administrators will also be able to use CloudSight Search to search the archives of users, which can help in restoring lost or deleted documents.

Backupify, which currently has 140,000 customers, will be showing off Cloudsight at South By Southwest. To sign up for the private beta, visit here.

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Lots of people are using PC systems all around the world. The computer can be used for entertainment, personal activities or business. So it’s not important what is the main use of your personal computer. Every PC user will store on their system some essential data. Documents, databases and media can be part of such data. Once they start storing their essential files on their computer, users begin to rely on their computers as their primary source of data. Here Data Backup Software you will learn more about data backup software.

Therefore all measures should be taken to protect the data stored on computers, as any form of natural disaster such as flood, fire or even a hardware malfunction as well as a software error could cause potential damage to computers and all the data stored on them could be lost. Losing such data can result in important financial problems for some of you. There are many methods to safeguard your data, the most reliable of which is to backup your data to a secure remote location. Data backup means a lot more than just copying your data to some external hard drive (or disk). Complete and secure data backup means to professionally backup up your data using a well-tested method. Check here Mozy Online Data Backup Review for a review about Mozy data backup software, and here Mozy Online Data Backup Review for a review about the Acronis data backup software.

The two most popular methods used to backup data is to use data backup software or to use an online data backup service provider. It does happen that beginners may be confused to exactly know what is the best way to backup their data. So let’s see a bit more about data backup program vs. the online data backup system. The right solution for your needs will then become clearer for you.

Data backup tools vary a lot. Some of those tools can be used without paying anything. While others programs require some payment. The most popular and well-known data backup software applications are normally available as paid versions. Such backup applications come with various methods to copy the final created backup image. This file contains your backed up files and preferences. So you can copy the image to some external USB hard disk, or even optical one. Such programs allow you to backup the System Registry, and also your preferences. So in case your PC gets damaged, you do have a copy of all your preferences and user settings. However, you will have to use your own storage devices to store backups, and when the backups start piling up after a while; you may have problems trying to find storage space to back up your data.

Online data backup is a service allowing you to backup your infos on online servers. Those servers are part of the data backup service provider. With them, your file storage capacity is unlimited. After the initial backup operating, incremental data backup can be performed, which means that only changes you make will be backed up to the server.

The cost of such service is a lot more compared to using a data backup tool. But you won’t need any storage device of your own to keep your backup images. With such online data backup service, you can also backup your user preferences and applications details. A last problem that some computer users are finding out about such online data backup service is that the speed of their Internet connection might not be fast enough for them to a backup on a daily basis.

No matter the method you do select to backup your data, you can rest knowing that your data is safely kept.

www.thetechstop.net On this episode of ‘gadget’ we take a look at the “clickfree Automatic Backup” — This USB enclosure is a plug-and-play backup device that can literally copy all of your personal data without you ever having to click a mouse or tap a keyboard. You can find more episodes in high resolution at www.TheTechStop.net

According to research sponsored by Toshiba, more Americans are afraid of losing digital data — photos, documents, etc — than they are about losing their wallet or an audit by the IRS. This is probably because more people have suffered a digital loss than have been audited by the IRS — we all say “It can’t happen to me!” until it actually does happen, and only then do we change our behaviors. But the reality is, backing up data has historically been tedious, if not actually challenging. And restores are so rarely done as to require the user to search for the long discarded product manual so they can figure out how to do it…

Toshiba is rolling out Canvio external hard drives, in sizes from 500GB to 1TB, and bundling NTI® BackupNow EZ™ software in order to simplify data backups for average users. I don’t know how this compares to Apple’s Time Machine backups yet. I’m awaiting a demo unit, and will provide a full review soon. In the meantime, here’s the press release.

TOSHIBA INTRODUCES THE CANVIO:
A POCKET-SIZED ONE TERABYTE BACKUP SOLUTION
TO EASE CONSUMER FEARS ABOUT LOSING DIGITAL MEMORIES

Recent Survey Shows Nearly Half of Americans Are Worried about
Computer Crashes and Majority Believe that Backing Up Computers is Crucial

IRVINE, Calif., March 29, 2010 – According to new research, Americans worry more about losing their digital valuables, such as family photos, home videos and important documents, from a computer crash than having a wallet lost or stolen and being audited by the IRS. In response, Toshiba today introduced the Canvio™ Portable Hard Drive product line, an easy-to-use computer backup solution with up to one terabyte (TB1) of storage capacity to protect the enormous amounts of digital content Americans are creating and storing on home computers.
According to the recent survey conducted by Impulse Research and sponsored by Toshiba2, 70 percent of Americans have lost some type of data on their computers. The vast majority (89 percent) of consumers are aware of the importance of regularly backing up their computers to avoid losses; however, most (57 percent) never back up or only do it when they think of it.

How Can Consumers Be Saved From Themselves?
A leader in delivering mobile storage products to consumers, as well as to computer and consumer electronics manufacturers, Toshiba designed and introduced the Canvio Portable Hard Drive to help consumers make protecting their digital memories an uncomplicated and regular practice. The Canvio appeals to consumers with diverse digital comfort levels – it’s easy to use with simple plug-and-play operation for novices and offers customizable options for tech-savvy users.
The stylish Canvio product line comes in five colors and four storage capacities, ranging from 500GB to 1TB. At the top capacity, the Canvio holds up to 285,000 digital photos, 263,000 digital music files, or 820 digital movies3. Consumers can easily back up entire music, photo or home video libraries with this vast amount of storage space.
Smaller than a postcard and weighing about six ounces, the Canvio is portable, providing a great emergency solution for saving digital memories in the event of a home catastrophe. In fact, survey respondents ranked their digital memories third in a list of items they would take with them in the event of a home evacuation, excluding family members and pets – only behind money and family photos.

Who’s Concerned About Digital Memory Loss?
Concern for protecting valuable digital assets is on all consumers’ minds – but it’s top-of-mind for some more than others. According to the survey:
• Fear of losing computer data (cited by 42 percent of respondents) ranked just under fear of being laid off (46 percent) – a telling statement in this economy.
• Digitally savvy young people (18-24 years old) are most concerned about computer crashes (65 percent), listing it as their biggest fear, right after someone breaking into their home (70 percent).
• Women, in particular, are concerned about the security of family memories – 78 percent of women respondents indicated they are primarily responsible for maintaining family records and memories to pass down to future generations. These “chief memory officers” say that family videos and photos, as well as ancestor photos, are the most precious memories they have.
“If the thought of losing all of your family’s important documents, photos, and music makes you shudder, spare yourself the worry by backing up your files,” says the product reviews staff from MomCentral.com. “Toshiba’s light and sleek Canvio Portable Hard Drive makes it easy to save your data, whether you’re working from home or on-the-go.”

Backup Made Simple
With an easy setup process and “set-it-and-forget-it” operation, the Canvio product line can automatically and regularly back up a computer while in use, removing the primary barrier to backing up – 54 percent of survey respondents said they simply forget about it.
Building on the success of its previous portable hard drives, the Canvio product line features easy-to-use Windows™-based NTI® BackupNow EZ™ software, upgraded with better search capabilities and simpler step-by-step restore functionality to retrieve lost files. For advanced users, the Canvio offers even more customization features than previous Toshiba personal storage products, including extensive backup options, advanced restore functionalities and an ability to overwrite specific original files. The Canvio also provides an option for complete system backup, enabling users to restore select files or the entire computer, even if Windows is unable to start.
“As the survey shows, home computers hold very personal and valuable assets, and yet the majority of people aren’t doing enough to help protect that precious data,” said Manuel Camarena, product manager for consumer storage at Toshiba Storage Device Division. “For consumers who know backup is important and want an easy path to peace of mind, the Canvio is a no-brainer. It simply acts like an insurance policy against the loss of crucial data and precious digital memories.”

Toshiba Canvio Product Details
The Canvio product line comes in an array of colors, including Raven Black, Satin Silver, Liquid Blue, Rocket Red and Komodo Green. Toshiba has reduced the physical size of this personal storage line by 25 percent and added environmentally-friendly packaging, delivering a 35 percent reduction in total volume and using 100 percent recyclable materials.
The Canvio product line is available now at www.toshibadirect.com or through major retailers and online outlets. For a complete list of retailers offering the Toshiba Canvio, please visit www.wheretobuy.toshibastorage.com.
Suggested retail prices by capacities are:
• $119.99 for the 500GB Canvio
• $139.99 for the 640GB Canvio
• $159.99for the 750GB Canvio Plus
• $199.99 for the 1TB Canvio Plus