In addition, both applications compress and encrypt data, require passwords to access the host or restore files, and keep logs of backup sessions. The online equivalent of a safe deposit box, Surefind offers iron-clad security and confidentiality, and it's backed by a hefty guarantee. To get started, all you need is the Surefind software and a modem, but you must dial in using the CompuServe network. Pricing for Surefind varies depending on how much you use it. You can store up to 100MB, with weekly backups of 5MB each.
Online backup is still a work in progress.
Installing and backing up files with Surefind was easy but not without problems. It took about 10 minutes to install Surefind, define a backup session, and identify the 180 text and graphics files totaling 10MB to be stored. The transfer of data from our PC to the Surefind server took about 26 minutes. Recovering the file took less than a minute, although Surefind warns that accessing the right jukebox disk can take up to 4 minutes. Another hassle arose when we tried to log onto Compu-Serve with WinCIM after installing Surefind.