Novosoft Integrates Online Backup Service into Handy Backup for Android

Novosoft releases version 1.3 of their popular backup utility for Android-driven smartphones, Handy Backup for Android, – now with support for Online backup.

Alliance, Ohio, December 8, 2009 – Novosoft, an international IT-consulting and software development company, today announced the release of a Handy Backup for Android v. 1.3. Now users of the utility can back up their phones to a secure online storage provided by Novosoft, which is located in San Diego, California.

"Novosoft Remote Backup Service was launched in 2005 to provide users of PC version of Handy Backup with an option to store files remotely and always be able to access them," said Alexander Prichalov, head of Novosoft Development Department. "In recent years, we saw a growing demand for online backup solutions, and we are happy to come up with a solution for Android phones."

The release of Handy Backup for Android 1.3 is the first Novosoft's step to monetize the program: it resembles a pricing model of Handy Backup for PC, where a low cost software can be supplemented with paid plug-ins. Handy Backup for Android remains free, but the use of a new Online Backup option requires the user to have a paid account at Novosoft Remote Backup service.

"Right now the utility uses FTP protocol, buy we are planning to add support for SFTP and FTPS connectivity in the nearest future," said Mr. Prichalov. "And further development of Handy Backup for Android will be focused on creation of new plug-ins for easier selection of data to back up."

Handy Backup for Android comes free of charge and can be downloaded directly on the phone from the Android Market.

About Novosoft Remote Backup Service

Novosoft Remote Backup Service is a secure data storage system located in an underground shelter in San Diego, California. It is protected from fire, flood, magnetic and electric fields and any other factors that can damage user data, and is accessible 24 hours a day and 365 days a year from any point of the world. To learn more, please refer to http://www.remotedatabackup.net

About Handy Backup for PC

Introduced in 2002, Handy Backup™ is a family of data backup and disaster recovery software for Windows computers and Windows Server-based enterprise networks. Prices of the software range from $39 for Handy Backup Standard to $599 for a full-featured enterprise backup solution Handy Backup Server. To learn more, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

Contact
Alexander Rassokhin
Novosoft
Phone: +7 (383) 330-34-69
E-mail: pr@novosoft.net

Novosoft Announces Marketing Strategy for Handy Backup for Android

Novosoft, one of the leading providers of data backup solutions worldwide, today announced the intention to use Handy Backup for Android, their data backup tool for Android-powered phones, to promote Novosoft Remote Backup Service.

Alliance, Ohio, November 17, 2009 – Novosoft, an international IT-consulting and software development company, announced today that the upcoming version Handy Backup for Android will be bundled with Novosoft Remote Backup Service.

"Handy Backup for Android will remain free for all users of Android phones," said Alexander Prichalov, head of Novosoft Development Department. "However, we are planning to add features integrated with third-party services. For example, the upcoming release will support backing up to FTP servers, but it will be available only for customers of our Remote Backup Service."

The strategy of providing free or low cost software with paid options is not new for Novosoft. Handy Backup for PC is marketed in exactly the same way: its core functionality can be extended with paid plug-ins of two types, one for extracting data to back up (files-based, drive-based and database backup plug-ins) and another for controlling storage and processing options.

"We've taken great care to develop the same powerful architecture that we have in a desktop version," said Mr. Prichalov. "Further development of Handy Backup for Android will be focused on creation of plug-ins for data selection and storage, and FTP backup is the first of them. In a short time, we will revise pricing strategy of our Remote Backup Service, and come up with a solution that will be cost-effective for most Android users. The release of the new version is planned for the end of November."

The first beta of Handy Backup for Android was introduced by Novosoft in March, 2009. It was an extension to a desktop version of Handy Backup that allowed users to back up their phones to PC on the client-server model, controlled by PC. In the beginning of November the company released a standalone backup application for Android-based smartphones. At present, it is available on the Android Market and can be downloaded free of charge.

About Novosoft Remote Backup Service

Novosoft Remote Backup Service is a secure data storage system located in an underground shelter in San Diego, California. It is secured from fire, flood, magnetic and electric fields and any other factors that can damage user data, and is accessible 24 hours a day and 365 days a year from any point of the world. To learn more, please refer to http://www.remotedatabackup.net

About Handy Backup for PC

Introduced in 2002, Handy Backup™ is a family of data backup and disaster recovery software for Windows computers and Windows Server-based enterprise networks. Prices of the software range from $39 for Handy Backup Standard to $599 for a full-featured enterprise backup solution Handy Backup Server. To learn more, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

Contact
Alexander Rassokhin
Novosoft
Phone: +7 (383) 330-34-69
E-mail: pr@novosoft.net

Novosoft Releases Backup Software for Android Mobile Devices

Novosoft, one of the leading providers of backup solutions worldwide, announces Handy Backup for Android, a data backup and restore utility for Android-based phones.

Alliance, Ohio, November 3, 2009 – Novosoft, an international software development and IT-consulting company, today announced the release of a lite version of Handy Backup™, a data backup tool for Android-powered mobile devices.

"We started working on compatibility with Android in early spring of this year," said Alexander Prichalov, head of Novosoft Product Department. "The first beta came out in March, and it was a client software that allowed a PC version of Handy Backup access and back up phone's data. After collecting user feedback, we saw a huge demand for a standalone Android backup tool, so we immediately started working to come up with a solution."

By creating a portable version of Handy Backup, Novosoft provides owners of Android-based smartphones with an opportunity to back up their data independently of Google services. The current release supports backing up SMS messages, contacts, call logs and SD card data. Contacts are saved in VCard format, so they can be later imported to Outlook or other messaging software.

"While the application may look simple at the first sight, we actually developed the same architecture that we have in desktop version of Handy Backup," said Mr. Prichalov. "Now it will be easy for us to extend the functionality with support for more data, various Android applications, capability to back up to network and FTP locations, and much more – just the way you can back up your PC with Handy Backup."

Handy Backup for Android is free of charge and can be downloaded directly on your phone from the Android Market.

About Handy Backup for PC

Handy Backup™ is a complete, extensible PC backup software featuring a unique architecture, where all backup jobs are created through plug-ins of two types: one for selecting data that you want to back up (there are files-based, sector-based and database backup plug-ins) and another for controlling data processing and storage options. To learn more about Handy Backup, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

Contact
Alexander Rassokhin
Novosoft
Phone: +7 (383) 330-34-69
E-mail: pr@novosoft.net

Novosoft Releases Backup Software for Windows 7

Novosoft, one of the leading providers of backup solutions worldwide, announces the release of a new version of their key product Handy Backup – now with Microsoft's "Compatible with Windows 7" technical certification.

Alliance, Ohio, October 27 – Novosoft, an international software development and IT-consulting company, today announced the release of a new Windows 7-certified version of Handy Backup, award-winning data backup and disaster recovery software.
"As a Gold Microsoft Partner, we had access to a rich set of technical resources including Partner Knowledge Base that enabled us to make Handy Backup compatible with all the powerful new features within Windows 7," said Alexander Prichalov, head of Novosoft Product Department. "We hope that the new certification logo will distinguish our product from the competition and help Handy Backup become user's first choice in backup software for Windows 7 ".

Handy Backup and Handy Backup Server are the first products of Novosoft that qualified for the Microsoft "Compatible with Windows 7" logo. After thorough quality assessment they were confirmed to meet all requirements of reliability, security and compatibility with Windows 7 and Windows 7-certified hardware, established by Microsoft.

“Our ISV community is alive with innovation, and we’re committed to helping our partners drive the next generation of software experiences,” said Ross Brown, Vice President of ISV and Solutions Partners for the Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft. “Adding compatibility for the latest Microsoft operating systems helps ISVs to stay ahead of the competition and give their customers access to cutting-edge technologies.”

About Handy Backup

Introduced in 2002, Handy Backup is a family of data backup and disaster recovery software for Windows computers and Windows Server-based enterprise networks. It allows creating one-time and scheduled jobs to back up computer data and store it to any local or remote storage.
Handy Backup is available in several editions designed for different customer groups. Prices of the software range from $39 for Handy Backup Standard which features basic files-based backup functionality to $199 for a full-featured solution Handy Backup Full which can back up SQL databases, Microsoft Exchange Server, Lotus Notes/Domino environment, DB2 data servers, Oracle and much more. Enterprise backup edition of the program, Handy Backup Server, allows backing up all workstations and servers from a single control point. The package includes 5 licenses for remote computers and costs $599.

To learn more about Handy Backup, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

Contact
Alexander Rassokhin
Novosoft
Phone: +7 (383) 330-34-69
E-mail: pr@novosoft.net

Novosoft Releases Backup Solution for IBM DB2 Data Servers

Novosoft, an international IT-consulting and software development company, announced the release of a new version of their flagship product Handy Backup, now validated as "Ready for IBM DB2 Data Server"

Alliance, Ohio, October 20, 2009 – Novosoft, one of the leading manufacturers of backup software worldwide, today announced that the new version of their backup utility Handy Backup received the "Ready for IBM DB2 Data Server" technical certification. Now companies that use DB2-based IBM applications to manage e-commerce, CRM and other business solutions are enabled to protect their business at a new level of quality.

"We couldn't be happier to enhance our partnership with IBM by releasing a new backup solution for IBM software" said Natalia Sigaeva, head of Novosoft marketing department. "Handy Backup Server is already used by hundreds of companies worldwide, and we hope that the new functionality will help us further advance into the market of enterprise backup software."

The "Ready for IBM DB2 Data Server" validation program was designed by IBM to help customers differentiate products that have met requirements of reliability, quality and security, established by IBM. The logo is provided after strict quality assessment given by the company's experts and confirms that the software meets explicit specifications of compatibility with DB2 databases and allows business owners to achieve the highest business results.

About Handy Backup

Introduced in 2002, Handy Backup is a family of professional backup software for Windows computers and Windows Server-based corporate networks, consisting of two editions for enterprise backup: Handy Backup Full and Handy Backup Server. Handy Backup Full costs $199 and enables you to back up DB2 databases, IBM Lotus databases, MS Exchange Servers, MS SQL Servers, Oracle databases and other data managed by a local server. Handy Backup Server is a client-server backup solution that allows controlling backups of networked workstations and servers from a single control point. The package includes 5 licenses for remote computers and costs $599.

To learn more about Handy Backup, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

About Novosoft

Established in 1992, Novosoft creates and markets a wide range of software products for individual computer users and small- to medium-sized businesses. The company strives to use the most advanced technologies and deliver high quality and cost effective solutions ensuring customers satisfaction and trust. For more information, refer to the corporate website at http://www.novosoft-us.com

Novosoft Partners with Oracle to Deliver Backup Solution for Oracle Databases

Novosoft, an international software development and IT-consulting company, releases backup software for Oracle databases and becomes a certified partner of the Oracle Partner Network.

Alliance, Ohio, September 24, 2009 – Novosoft, one of the leading providers of backup solutions for Windows-based servers, today announced that they partnered with Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq:ORCL), the world's largest enterprise software company, to deliver high-quality backup solution for users of Oracle databases. The main factor that contributed to the partnership was the release of a new version of Novosoft's flagship product Handy Backup, featuring support for backing up Oracle databases.
"We are excited to partner with a recognized world leader in enterprise DBMS development," said Alexander Prichalov, head of Novosoft Product Department. "It proves our competence and expertise in Oracle technologies, and also strengthens Handy Backup's positions to meet growing global market demands for complete enterprise backup systems."
Through the partnership with Oracle, Novosoft has ensured that Handy Backup is compatible with the most popular versions of Oracle databases, including latest releases of Oracle Databases 10g and 11g.
The Oracle Partner Program is a business network of more than 20000 companies that provide customers with leading-edge business solutions based on Oracle software. Partners are able to access Oracle's education, marketing and sales support, and organizations that work with partners can be confident that their IT infrastructures will be built with the best software on the market and deliver the highest business results.

About Handy Backup

Handy Backup is an award-winning data backup and disaster recovery software for Windows Server-based enterprises. It carries multiple certification logos, such as Microsoft's "Works with Windows Server 2008" and "Compatible with Windows 7" and allows automating all backups of corporate data including Oracle databases, Exchange mail servers, and much more.
Handy Backup is available in several editions, prices of editions that support Oracle backup range from $199, for a single PC, to $599 for a client-server backup solution. To learn more about Handy Backup, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net

Novosoft Becomes Microsoft Gold Partner

Novosoft, an international software development and IT-consulting company, earns Microsoft Gold Partner status.
Alliance, Ohio, September 16, 2009 – Novosoft, one of the leading providers of backup solutions worldwide, today announced that they have achieved the status of Gold Partners with an ISV/Software Solutions Competency in the Microsoft Partnership Program. The main factor that allowed the company to earn the status was certification of their flagship product Handy Backup for the Microsoft's "Works with Windows Server 2008" logo.
"Becoming Microsoft Gold Partner gives us an opportunity to bring even more benefits to our clients," said Vladimir Vaschenko, CEO of Novosoft. "It not only demonstrates our knowledge of Microsoft technologies and our proficiency in high-quality software development, but also provides us with a rich set of resources that will help us further improve our products and deliver better service to our customers."
Microsoft Gold Certified Partners with an ISV competency are considered as being the most experienced companies that have proven their technical competence and expertise at developing professional software solutions. The Partnership Program is aimed to help customers identify the best software vendors on the market and use only the best products that are guaranteed to deliver superior user experience and highest business results.
About Handy Backup
Handy Backup is an award-winning backup solution for desktop and laptop computers working under Windows OS and Windows Server-based enterprise networks. It allows creating scheduled backups of information stored on workstations and servers, including Exchange servers, SQL servers, databases of different types and much more.
Prices of the software range from $39 for Standard edition to $199 for Full edition. Also, there is an enterprise backup edition of the program, Handy Backup Server, which includes 5 licenses for remote workstations and costs $599.
To learn more about Handy Backup, please refer to the product website at http://www.handybackup.net
About Novosoft
Established in 1992, Novosoft develops and markets a wide range of B2C and B2B solutions for individual PC users and small businesses with Windows-based IT infrastructures. The company strives to keep in step with the most advanced technologies and deliver high quality and cost effective software products, ensuring customer satisfaction and trust. For more information, please refer to the corporate website at http://www.novosoft-us.com

Backup Rotation Schedule Basics

Backup rotation schedule is an essential basis of the whole backup strategy especially concerning corporate data backup and recovery used by enterprises. It is widely known that having only one copy of important information is asking for trouble. You have to keep multiple copies and one of them in secure off-site storage. Backup schedule is usually using a combination of partial backups interspersed with full backups to reduce backup time and capacity usage.

Most known and simple partial backup method is differential backup which allows saving all data changes made since last full backup. Due to backup strategy it takes more storage capacity, but is much faster to restore backed up information if it is necessary. Incremental backup is a little bit more complicated method allows backing up changes made since last incremental backup instead of full. This method helps to reduce storage capacities used to keep backup files, but process of backed up data restoration is relatively slow.

Top backup rotation schedules used for tape backup are mostly Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) and Tower of Hanoi. GFS is based on using three sets or generations of tapes. Monthly full backup is grandfather, weekly full backup is father and a son set for partial everyday backups. Grandfather tapes are stored off-site while “younger” generations stay in backup rotation. Tower of Hanoi is based on mathematic puzzle of the same name and provides an ability to increase generations’ depth.

No matter which backup rotation schedule you will select according your corporate data backup strategy. The most important requirement is to have 24/7 access to your backups, though it is provided by every quality online backup service.

Remote data backup planning issues

Remote data backup requires careful preparation and planning stage before you can be sure that performance will be adequate. Understanding of how much data you need to backup in a typical evening is the first important issue to be considered when planning remote backup strategy. When you know approximate data level to backup daily it’s time to select remote backup service which fits your budget and offering an adequate bandwidth.

Another factor gaining importance for remote data backup is data deduplication or intelligent compression as it also called. Typical remote backup may create many copies of the same file. Data deduplication used to avoid creating redundant information. It only makes one reserve copy of the file and provides pointers to other file iterations. So if you have 100 copies of 1 MB file, ordinary backup will use 100 MB of storage for them, while data deduplication need storage for 1 MB file and references for additional copies. 1 MB instead of 100 MB is a difference which makes reasonable enough to use only data deduplication supporting remote data backup.

The third issue with planning remote data backup strategy is possibility of connection failure. Business impact of link problem must be identified to make plans for minimization negative effects. Temporary connection problems must be corrected by repeat of remote backup attempt several hours later when the connection will return.

See also remote backup

Online Backup Mobile

How would you feel if the entire address book, all messages and multimedia files on your mobile phone were gone? In most cases that would be a real disaster – unless you backup mobile data regularly. Today's life reveals such a fast growth of the number of various gadgets and mobile technologies that utilities for them can't keep in step with their development. That's why the matter of mobile backup receives so much attention: it provides almost endless prospects for both hardware and software manufacturers.
Unfortunately, different manufacturers choose different platforms for their mobile devices, and there can't be an ultimate mobile online backup software solving all needs at once. The good news is that solutions for specific platforms, e.g. Windows Mobile or Android, are widely available and mobile backup tools for them can be found easily.

Backup Windows Registry

It is important to regularly back up Windows registry, as it contains all options and preferences of software and hardware installed on your PC. If you have a backup of registry, you can always feel safe about the operation of your system: even if something goes wrong, you will be always able to restore settings of all devices and your favorite applications that you've tweaked to perfection.
When choosing a backup software capable of registry backup, make sure that it allows working with individual registry keys. All configuration options are logically split into several sections: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER and other, each storing data about different PC settings. By including different keys into different backup plans, you can establish a really flexible and reliable backup strategy.