With so many online backup companies offering their services these days, it's not easy keeping track of which does what. Some services are geared towards tech-savvy users who can maximize full-featured backup solutions, while others aim to provide the easiest backup tool for home users and business owners. As you'll discover in this Keepit Review, it falls in the latter category. It is an online backup service that has made simplicity a priority over everything else.

Full Review

Sure it doesn’t come with any bells or whistles, or in online backup terms – file sharing, syncing, streaming, bandwidth throttling, remote and mobile access, and so on. But if simple and reliable online backup is all you need, that’s what you’ll get with Keepit. Available for both PC and Mac computers, this service backs up your data to the cloud automatically so you just need to set it up and leave the rest to the program.

Keepit comes in three types of plans. For home users, there’s Keepit Unlimited, while businesses can choose between Keepit PRO Desktop and Keepit PRO Server. All plans offer a 30-day free trial period and a 30-day money back guarantee, and with Keepit’s dead simple approach, a month should be more than enough time to determine if it is the right online backup solution for you.

Ease of Use

According to the Keepit website, to backup data, users just need to Install Keepit, Choose folders, and Relax. In actuality, there are of course a few more steps and details that need to be taken care of, but it doesn’t make the process any less easy.

You start off by creating an account with Keepit for which you need to enter your email address, name and password, and then download the 11MB program to your desktop. Once the app is downloaded, the program guides you through the quick installation process and in just a few minutes, you’re ready to begin the back up.

There’s really not much to think about with using Keepit. From the program installation to the backup and restore processes, everything is straightforward and self-explanatory. In terms of simplicity and ease of use, it’s one of the services you could recommend anyone who doesn’t want to be bothered by complex options.

The Backup Process

With the Keepit program installed, you can click on the prominent Launch Program button, and you’ll be taken to the main screen which has three tabs Status, Settings, and Restore. The Settings tab is where you can choose the folders you want to backup initially.

As with other backup service providers, common folders such as Desktop, Documents, Favorites, Pictures, etc. are selected by default. If you have files or folders other than these that you need to include, there is an Advanced Folder Selection option which lets you browse through your local drive and manually choose folders. Under this tab, you can also select which days you want Keepit to perform backup. Once you have everything set, just click on the Backup Now button to begin your first backup.

You can view the progress of your upload (or restore/download for that matter) on the Status tab. If a backup is in progress, you’ll find the percentage of the uploading completed as well as the estimated remaining time for the backup to finish. You’ll also see which particular files or folders are done and which are still on the backup queue.

Backup Status

Keepit has been designed to perform incremental backups after the initial one. This means only new files or changed ones are uploaded so that subsequent backups are fast and don’t use up a lot of resources. However, unlike other service providers, this solution does not backup on a real-time, continuous basis, but does so only on a daily schedule.

This is important for users to know because if the software is done backing up for the day and changes are made to a certain document, that file won’t be protected until the following day when Keepit is set to do its regular update. Although not a deal breaker for most, it’s definitely a big drawback for those who are editing files and using their computers for the most part of the day. After all, you never know when a hard disk may crash or a disaster may strike.

The program icon resides on the system tray and you can just click on it to initiate a new backup, restore a file, or check which files or folders have been backed up for the day or are currently uploading.

Performance

Initial backups are always expected to take a considerable time because of the volume of data users tend to upload the first time. In this aspect, Keepit performs as well as any other backup service provider. One reviewer reported how 500MB worth of test data was backed up in 30 minutes on a typical broadband connection. Nothing amazing in the speed there, but definitely nothing sluggish either.

Keepit uses compression before files are transferred to the server. This technology saves time and bandwidth, and therefore contributes to the program’s good performance. If a backup is interrupted for any reason, it will automatically resume when the machine is restarted or the connection is re-established, and will continue where it left off.

Security

Keepit may trail behind other services in terms of features and functionality, but security is one aspect that they have not skimped on. Using 256-bit encryption technology, data is encrypted before leaving your machine, in transit, and while in storage.

The company also ups the privacy and security factor by having you safeguard your own encryption key. This keeps even the most trusted Keepit employee from looking into your (encrypted) data. Unlike other services where the data is rendered irretrievable if you lose the encryption key, Keepit can still restore your key for you, but only after 10 days.

Data backed up to Keepit is not only protected using technological means because physical safekeeping measures have been put in place too. The company has a number of secure and well-equipped data centers situated in different geographical locations to protect against data loss due to natural calamities and other disasters.

Restoring Data

Keepit also keeps the restore process very simple. To download a file, go to the Restore tab on the main window. On this screen, you’ll be able to view all backups saved on your account. You can choose to restore all folders/files from your latest backup or just select individual files to download. By default any files restored are downloaded to the Desktop, but there’s also an option to Change Destination. Again, you’ll find the details of the restore activity in progress including the restore size, current speed, and estimated time on the Status tab of the screen.

While the service’s extra features may be sparse, it does provide a backup history of all saved files up to 60 days. This means any files you accidentally delete from your local drive can still be found and restored from your Keepit account for as long as you make the discovery within 60 days.

Remote Access

Remote access is an area where Keepit significantly falls behind other services because at this time, the company does not offer web access or mobile access features. Subscribers for now will have to stick with the desktop interface for all basic processes such as backing up data, viewing uploaded files, and restoring a file or folder.

Customer Support

The Help or Customer Service section of Keepit offers basic FAQs and quick guides to help you get started and use the service. However, the page itself is quite bare and the information provided was perfunctory at best. While Keepit puts emphasis on being a simple solution, I’m sure users would still appreciate a more comprehensive resource for any issue they run into.

The company doesn’t offer live chat support, but it does offer email and phone support. However, since Keepit is based in Denmark, their customer support hours via the phone may be an issue (particularly for those in the U.S.) given the time difference.

Bottom Line of this Keepit Review:

Keepit doesn’t promise the most useful features or the best customization options, but what it does promise – simple, automatic backup – it delivers. If you get down to the details, it’s got a couple of things that may appeal to a good number of users: unlimited storage and ease of use.

But that’s about it. With the scant features available, some users may find the service too simple. Other backup solutions that also tout simplicity as their selling point have at least the “essential” features – such as real-time continuous backup and remote access. And with the popularity of smartphones and tablets, mobile access is also quickly becoming the norm – even for “simple” online backup services.

Keepit online backup is one of the few services that, aside from offering a 30-day free trial, also gives a 30-day money back guarantee. If you’re looking for a super simple, bare-bones online backup solution, then Keepit may be worth a try. With the free trial and money-back guarantee, you really don’t have much to lose other than your time to see if it’s the right solution for you.

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