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Data protection, backup and disaster recovery specialist Paragon Software Group announced the launch of Backup & Recovery 15 Home, a user-friendly data and PC system backup and recovery tool.
The platform is designed to protect data and the entire operating system so it can be restored in case of a disaster.
Although the software’s main window has been redesigned to make the functions easier to find and more intuitive to use, the layout used in the previous version (such as the PBF Backup Capsule) is also supported in a special Compatibility View mode.
The software includes a range of backup and recovery options for files and folders, the operating system or even the entire hard disk to any storage of choice, such as internal storage, external USB storage, network attached storage (NAS), DVD or flash disks.
The technology allows the user to set up once, and thereafter the system will accomplish backups automatically, with the latest version delivering a backup of the system both at sector and file level.
“It’s very important that the most common backup tasks are accessible by a user-friendly and intuitive interface, since many users are overstrained by the technical background and the different backup techniques that exist,” Konstantin Komarov, Paragon’s CEO, told eWEEK. “It must be possible that every user of a backup tool is able to back up his system and data on a regular basis and without any help from the third person.”
The file-based backup and restore to and from virtual containers supports a range of common formats, including pVHD, VHD, VHDX and VMDK, while backup to virtual containers (full backups, file increments and supplements) can now also be created on the file level.
Other new features include a backup format with higher compression and faster backups on network drives, as well as an improved recovery environment.
The company’s Recovery Media Builder 3.0 feature makes creating a recovery environment easier and more flexible, and thanks to WinPE technology, the recovery environment can be operated intuitively.
Optionally, users can create a WinPE or Linux-based recovery media on a USB flash drive or save it as an ISO file and then burn a bootable CD/DVD.
In addition, an enhanced mode allows the inclusion of specific drivers and preconfigured network settings.
“The relevance of performing backups is as of a high importance as having an antivirus software running. For most users, it is clear that every Windows PC should have an antivirus solution, but fewer users care about data and/or system backup,” Komarov said. “In reality, the relevance of data and system backups is much higher than running an antivirus solution because an antivirus solution is only able to minimize the risk that your system could be seriously affected by a virus attack. If the antivirus software fails, the danger of losing your system or parts of your important data is very high.”
Backup & Recovery 15 Home is available for $39.95 for a single-user license, and a family pack is available for three PCs in one household for $69.95. A free 30-day demo version is available, all from the company’s Website.