In the last few years we’ve seen a number of backup solutions emerge that have tried to make the backup process as painless as possible. Local backup solutions like Apple’s Time Machine back up to an external disk and tend to be quick and easy, but they also leave data exposed to theft and natural disaster. Cloud-based storage services like Mozy and Carbonite remove the risk of physical damage to a disk, but it can take days or weeks to recover data after a disk fails.
Cucku, a new startup that launched last week, is trying to merge the benefits of local and remote backup. Using a technology it calls “social backup”, users are able to automatically save their files to a friend’s computer over the Skype P2P network. The software is Windows only for now, with a Mac version planned for the future.
Here’s how it works: Each user pairs off with a friend, who becomes their “backup buddy”. Every time you modify a file on your drive, it gets uploaded and saved to the allotted backup portion of your friend’s drive. Likewise, whenever your backup buddy modifies one of their files, it gets saved to your hard drive. Everything is encrypted, so you shouldn’t have to worry about prying eyes.
CEO Rob Ellison says that Cucku solves some of the problems associated with cloud-based remote backup solutions like Mozy and Carbonite by keeping all of your files nearby. Instead of having to wait a few days for your files to arrive on a DVD, you can just call up your friend and get access immediately.
Cucku may have a leg up in terms of convenience, but it has some major technical hurdles to overcome. For one, users will need to give up significant chunks of their hard drive space to make room for their friends’ data - when that “low disk space” message pops up, your precious backup will likely be the first thing to go. And what happens when your friend goes on vacation for a few weeks and doesn’t leave his computer on? There’s also the issue of bandwidth, which all cloud services suffer from - backing up more than a few gigs can take weeks or months.
Cucku’s basic consumer offering probably won’t catch on, but its pro package does stand a chance. Unlike the regular version, which requires 1-to-1 backups (you can only swap data with your Backup Buddy), the Pro version will allow users to back up multiple computers to the same drive. Users will be able to create a dedicated server for backup purposes, which will allow large groups of people to back up to a “cloud” that is still physically accessible.
There are a number of other sites that have attempted to use P2P backup, including Wuala and AllMyData, which has adopted a more traditional could-based model.
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Still not as cool as Video.org
Seeing as how video [org] is just a parked domain with ads, I can think of numerous things that are better - vaseline, pickles, toast, staring at a blank wall, watching a candle melt. Need I go on?
Social Backup! What the…
also look at http://crashplan.com, same approach without skype, it’s free and they support Mac, Windows and Linux.
WTF is this shit? I visited this post and my browser downloaded this file without asking me:
http://www.techcrunch.com/atlas/atlas_rm.htm
It includes a link to a .js file that looks questionable:
http://rmd.atdmt.com/tl/newIframeScript.js
Cuck U? That name seems kink of cucked up to me.
Jason,
“cloud based services like mozy and carbonite take days or weeks to get the data”.
This has exactly been the key design point behind IDrive, to be able to push or restore data faster than anyone else. While there are inherent limitations related to Internet, IDrive does a better job than anyone else in this speed department. This may mean significant difference in restore speeds.
I think tech bloggers need to look at in-depth into the topics they cover and see these apparently ‘boring’ details instead of highlighting the same list of services in every blog story they cover related to online backup.
Raghu Kulkarni
IDrive.com
horrible company name if they want to be taken seriously - cucku sounds like f-u, and cuck sounds like a sex word
cucku in hebrew means idiot.
guess what potential cucku users…you’re responsible for that kiddie porn your buddy is serializing to your disk. this is what killed freebase.
If Cucku is selling its competitive advantage as having faster recovery times than Mozy and Carbonite because it thinks those services take “a few days” to get you your files back on “DVD”, the company should do some more competitive research.
I’m a Carbonite user. It takes me a couple minutes to recover one-off photos and documents (via a cable modem.) If you lose your entire drive, you can log onto the Carbonite site and get all your files back.
From Carbonite’s site: “Most DSL services will allow you to download about 600-800 MB per hour, or roughly 14-18GB per day. For an average user, complete data restoration is likely to take at most a day or two.”
No DVD needed.
CrashPlan is faster, has better compression, runs on mac, windows, and linux, has guaranteed restore, and better cryptography.
They’ve also been around for years and have optional service component if you don’t have a friend to back up to. (Or perhaps don’t want to trouble them.)
Their service is cheaper than Amazon S3 and given their recent downtime, has higher uptime!
LogMeIn has a product called “LogMeIn Backup” that provides machine-to-machine backup, or backing up multiple machines to another machine/server you control, on-site or off-site.
Reasonable prices and they leave out the P2P / social buzzwords which is a huge plus!
As I’ve said (read: evangelized) many times before - including in the TC comments - as a backup user, you really need to take a look at how you will want to get to your data when you need it. As the old adage goes, “your last backup is only as good as your last restore.”
From a usability and architecture perspective, the points that Jason brings up above are very viable: namely, what happens when your backup pal goes on a three week binger in Cabo? You and your data are stranded, friendless - like when you first signed up for Facebook and had no photos or wall posts to share.
But again, think first about the restore - not the backup. Most of the cloud-based services push your files into a “deep archive”, like a tape medium, that can take them hours or days to get back even one file. Is that really the restore that you need? When you lose or delete a file/hard-drive/computer you usually know that you lost it or deleted it at the exact time that you need said data. Who has hours or days to wait?
I specially built our service to solve this problem – keeping your files right on the edge, ensuring that you can get to them immediately when you need them, from your machine, your backup buddies machine, or from that crappy public internet terminal at the local coffee shop in Cabo.
So I urge you, TechCrunch reader, to really consider where your data is when you need it – and how long it’ll take you to get to it. Don’t get me wrong, backup time, service/disk reliability, and geographic redundancy are all extremely important – but they are the hardest things for you to quantify, and everyone will tell you that their service is the most redundant, most reliable service evar. Consider that a level playing field.
Archive a subset of your data. Delete some stuff, move some stuff around, live your digital life. Come back 45 days later and see what your service still has of your data and how long it takes you to get it back into your hands. That restore is the meter stick to measure your backup service by - not their name, nor the cute use of the word social in their tagline.
cj little
elephantdrive.com
Yehey! Cucku is now my #1 backup solution. I’m so satisfied with its service. No doubt, it’s better than Mozy.
Social backup = Worst. Idea. Ever.
This technology seems pointless to me. The chances of your friend’s hardrive being destroyed or infiltrated and corrupted by viruses is much higher than a web-based corporation’s servers being contaminated…. http://www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2
Their logo seems to resemble Mozilla’s logos for Firefox and Thunderbird. It tickles my copy-paste button. Seems like their idea isn’t so new either, just the Skype connection.
It seems to me the best market for their services is Mobile backups, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why they chose Skype as their medium.
My 2 cents.
Nice idea.. Lets see how it grows.. Will try to find a friend who can backup for me..
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned Zoogmo (http://www.zoogmo.com/)?
RIAA’s next big target?
There is at least one stupid startup idea a day on TC nowadays and today this is it. Seriously, most users struggle with setting up their wifi router and you want them to do what again? Find a buddy who understand WTF you are asking from them and them figure out how much disk space to allocate and maintaining it. Mark my words, this is going to fail miserably.
of course. “Hey buddy, mind if I make a massive imposition upon you? I will save $1.98 a month!”
Where are all the forks when you need one.
Careful now…make sure you use protection before “swapping data” with your “backup buddy.”
Cucku - Thrive or Fail? [VOTE] http://snurl.com/37d42 [www_thriveorfail_com]
Please backup your stuff on my HD.
I’ll be more then happy to WATCH it for you and TAKE care of it for you. muuhahahha
Nothing against this company, but the joke on the name writes itself…. they should really find a new name, yikes!
Are these guys serious?
On a Mac you can use SuperDuper! to create an updatable image of your disk, and then dump that file where you want.
Cheap, easy, reliable. No friends required.
So if you use their service, does that mean you are cucku’ed, or cockold?
The branding people should be shot.
hey, why don’t I store extra hot water at your house and if I run out during my 57 minute shower, you can just bring some over.
Hope nothing goes wrong while your buddy is on vacation: “Yeah, sorry about the breakin. I needed a PowerPoint.”
@mimizone: CrashPlan is pretty good, but I have to correct you in that it’s not free. I think you can use it for some number of days for free after which you’re required to buy a $25 license even if you’re using your own storage.
But given the alternative of losing all your data, it’s probably worth it no?
(Not affiliated with them…)
In French, Cucu means simple minded. I guess this is the perfect name !
Just like Tripwolf, another Firefox logo rip off.
I like the idea, I don’t like the solution.
Having all files online in a fast online storage bigger and safer than my computer is the future I would like.
Marco Trombetti
Memopal
Can’t see the difference between this one and FolderShare of Microsoft.