Earlier today I tried to find how long I’ve been using B2. My account appears to start in 2020. I had tested Wasabi earlier and found it equal in performance, IMO, to Amazon S3.
I don’t recall why I chose B2, probably all the recommendations from Mac media, podcasts, users, etc. In any event, I’ve been happy with B2. My backup runs every hour and I do a test restore around once a month.
And to be clear, I still use Backblaze’s desktop backup solution. I also use B2 for some personal things where an occasional tome error is a non-issue. I just found it to be unreliable enough that I couldn’t use it for my server backups.
We were only backing up one server to the cloud at the time I retired. An IBM iSeries midrange. My back up window was only seven hours a night so I used a D2D2T Server (disk to disk to tape) to backup the Intel servers and stored the LTO tapes offsite.
The problem I have with Arq is that its file cache balloons up, taking up valuable space on the main drive—in my case, 20-30 gb. It can be deleted, but the app quickly creates it again.
I would hate to switch cloud backup providers right now. I have about 5tb on Backblaze and it takes forever to make the initial backup. Also Cox complains when I go much over 1.5tb per month. Fiber is being installed in our neighborhood and I will switch as quickly as I can. 1gb symmetric with no data cap will be nice.
Has anybody looked at iDrive for backups? Tiered service but good granularity in sizes.
I’ve always had to use Comcast and it used to have a 1.0TB/mo limit. Go over your limit twice and they charge you. They raised it to 1.2 TB. And finally they allowed me to get rid of the cap, for an extra $30 a month.
Sounds like a design trade-off to me. Local cache keeps control on my machine and keeps the Arq backup software that runs on my local machine from having to read all of the remote cloud store.
For purposes of making backups, I wouldn’t worry about this report, by the way. I had a chance to read it. I’ve read Backblaze financial statements since they went public.
I agree with the report in these areas:
Don’t agree in these areas:
Overall, while it would obviously be nice if Backblaze were suddenly profitable, their strategy to move upmarket with B2, funded by the aging computer backups business and stock issuance, makes sense and is something they’ve communicated repeatedly in annual reports and calls. As an investor, there are hotter opportunities and perhaps it’s appropriate to short right now, but nothing’s been revealed about the business fundamentals.
I do see some risk of acquisition, but combining two API-compatible storage companies shouldn’t be painful, and the combined company wouldn’t gain any ability to stop competing on price. Easy to switch, worst case.
I hadn’t thought about it that way. I suppose that budgeting in extra disk space needed for the cache when I purchase my next mac would pay off in the long run compared to paying monthly for Backblaze Backup. Thanks!
Given you never really know what is going on until afterwards, there are enough concerns being raised and enough behaviours and indicators to at least raise a quizzical eyebrow.
I use Backblaze computer backup, but it very nearly caught in the “if it’s too good to be true…” filter for me when I signed up. It’s very cheap for the several TB I have in it compared to the competition.
Renewal is coming up in a few months. I’ll have a look around.
Lots of folks will be interested in what you find, I’ll bet. From what I can see, the easy, reliable, and inexpensive choices have dwindled. Options that require a fair amount of tech skill and risk assessment remain.
I’m sticking with my Arc Premium plan. Besides having several years of good experience with them, which include moving my backup from an M1 MacBook Air to a new M4 Mac mini, I like the flexibility and control I get for when I can schedule my backups or run the occasional spur-of-the-moment backup. BackBlaze has always been a little too loose-y goose-y for a control freak like me. 
Please start a new thread with your findings. I know I’d be interested.
If you’re stuck with Comcast/Xfinity, it may be worth checking to see if Xfinity Now would be enough for you. I use their $30 plan, and I’ve seen no difference in my internet experience. There’s no data cap.
Disclosure: I’m not running a business over my WiFi, nor am I a gamer. But I do run a Channels DVR server, I back up my main Mac using Backblaze, and nearly all of my media is streamed.
Here’s Backblaze’s rebuttal