Backblaze Announces Cloud Backup 7.0, Version History, Application Updates

Following requests to extend version history, Backblaze has announced an enhancement to the Backblaze Cloud Backup service for consumers and businesses. The enhancements to the extended version history include the ability to keep updated, changed, and even deleted files in a user’s backups forever. Additionally, Backblaze has improved their Windows and Mac apps by supporting MacOS 10.15 Catalina, increasing the functionality of iOS and Android mobile apps, updating their Single Sign-on (SSO) support, and adding more account security options.

Version History

Backblaze previously kept a 30-day version history of backed up files, but the update is now giving consumers and businesses the option to extend their version history to one year or forever. This new functionality is available on the Overview page for Computer Backup, and the Groups Management page for customers using Backblaze Groups. Backblaze v7.0 is required to use Version History. More information about Version History, pricing and examples of how to restore can be found on the Backblaze Version History FAQ page.

30-Day Version History

All Backblaze computer backup accounts have 30-Day Version History included with their backup license, giving customers the ability to go back in time for 30 days and retrieve old versions of their files. This also applies to files that have been deleted.

1-Year Version History

Extending Version History from 30 days to one year means that all versions of the account’s files that are backed up will remain in their Backblaze backup for one year after being modified or deleted from the business or consumer’s device. This applies whether the files have been updated, changed, or fully deleted from the computer. Extending Version History to one year is an additional $2 per month and is charged based on the license type (monthly, yearly, or 2-year). Any charges will be prorated to match the license renewal date.

Forever Version History

Extending Version History from 30 days or one year to forever means Backblaze will never remove files from the business or consumer’s Backblaze backup whether or not they have been updated, changed, or fully deleted from the computer. The costs associated with extending Version History to forever is similar to one year, at an additional $2 per month (prorated to the license plan type), plus $0.005/GB/month for versions modified on the computer more than one year ago.

MacOS and Windows Application Updates, Single Sign-On Updates for Backblaze Groups, Higher Resolution and Restores

Backblaze has changed the way it transmits large files on a machine by reworking how Backblaze groups and breaks apart files for upload. The maximum packet size has increased from 30 MB to 100 MB, allowing the app to transmit data more efficiently by better leveraging threading, which also smooths out upload performance, reduces sensitivity to latency, and leads to smaller data structures. Support has been added for Microsoft Office 365 in Backblaze Groups, and SSO updates have been made to the Inherit Backup State feature to support SSO-enabled accounts. Customers can now sign into Backblaze using their Office 365 credentials, similar to using Google’s SSO. Additionally, Backblaze has updated the way installers and applications appear on higher-resolution displays.

Windows

For Windows users, Backblaze developed a workaround to the OpenSSL issue that was causing problems on Intel’s Apollo Lake chipset. Since Backblaze claims Apollo Lake is a lower-end chipset and few customers saw issues, now computers using Apollo Lake will work as intended.

MacOS

The support for MacOS Catalina includes improvements to some MacOS system messages. Apple is now requiring apps to ask for permission more frequently in Catalina and since Backblaze is a backup application, Backblaze will require several permissions, which may lead to more system messages when installing Backblaze on the new operating system.

Backblaze Restores

In order to implement the Version History features, Backblaze had to change the way their restore page handled dates. Backblaze has now implemented the ability to pick a date for customers with 1-Year or Forever Version History to help users more easily choose the dates and times they are looking to restore their files from.

While the Backblaze 7.0 update is now available, the company will slowly auto update all users in the coming weeks. For users looking to update now, Backblaze suggests the following:

• Perform aCheck for Updates(right-click on the Backblaze icon)
• Download from www.backblaze.com/update.htm

This version is now the default download on www.backblaze.com.

Yev Pusin, director of strategy at Backblaze will host a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 11:00 a.m. PST to go over version 7.0 features and answer questions. The webinar will be available on BrightTalk (registration is required) and the link to sign up can be found by visiting the Backblaze BrightTALK channel.