The company that's known for giving you access to the Internet now also wants to be entrusted with storing your personal files.
Comcast, one of the biggest Internet service providers in the U.S., on Thursday launched its online backup service called Secure Backup & Share for its high-speed Internet customers. This service is powered by Mozy, a known online backup provider currently owned by EMC. It was a CNET Webware 100 winner of 2009.
According to Mozy, some 140,000 hard drives crash in the United States every week. Files can also be lost other ways, too, including human error, when a computer is stolen or misplaced, and from viruses. Comcast says that it wants to help reduce the risk of data loss and is encouraging consumers to back up and secure their digital files.
The company gives all of its existing customers 2GB of online storage for free with the launch of the Secure Backup & Share service. Those who want to use more storage space can opt for a few different plans, including a 50GB storage plan for $4.99 monthly or $49.99 annually, and a 200GB storage plan for $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually.
This pricing is about the same as plans offered by other online backup providers such as Memeo orMcAfee Online Backup.
According to Comcast, Secure Backup & Share, apart from keeping files off-site in case of disaster, also allows customers to share files via a personalized Web site. Sharable content includes photos, videos, music, and documents.
Comcast costumers can immediately activate their free accounts and use the new online backup, which is currently only works with PC computers. It's unclear if those who use this service are exempt from Comcast's monthly bandwidth cap.