33 Reasons We’re Your CrashPlan / Code42 Alternative Backup Solution

Here we’ll quickly cover the two big problems many CrashPlan users are facing today and why they need a CrashPlan Alternative:

33 Reasons Why WholesaleBackup Is Your Best Crashplan / Code42 Alternative Backup Solution

As you may have heard there have been some big changes with Code42 aka CrashPlan as they shift focus and implementation strategy. This is creating some confusion, frustration, and rethinking of many users and backup service providers (MSPs) next backup platform.

1.) the ‘Sunsetting’ of CrashPlan Code42 Home Edition

Many were disappointed to learn that CrashPlan was discontinuing services for the CrashPlan Home edition backup service.  [crashplan] as a direct result many backup providers, MSPs, and resellers were forced to find a CrashPlan Alternative.

No renewals, No support, No new registrations allowed. 

screen capture from Code42 / CrashPlan announcing the discontinuation of CrashPlan Home

They offer 3 options for what your next steps might be.

• Upgrade
• Migrate to Carbonite
• or 60 days while you transition elsewhere

What’s interesting about this scenario (believe it or not) is that many backup service providers and MSPs actually used CrashPlan Home in favor of CrashPlan Pro or Enterprise.

Why?

Here are a few things that come up.

TLDR;

• Lack of support for the product, e.g.) Windows Servers
• Limited support for various backup scenarios
• The software used excessive amounts of resources primarily RAM
• Updates often caused the software to stop working
• The software broke after anything changed e.g.) system upgrades, Java updates & CrashPlan version updates – then having to spend hours trying to sort it out
• The inability to backup from a mapped drive

Crashplan ending support for Windows Servers from r/sysadmin

2.) CrashPlan Ending Support of All Windows Servers (Including Enterprise)

The other huge issue that has many users and manage service providers scrambling to find a new server backup solution; is the Windows Server end of life support for the CrashPlan Enterprise app on Windows Servers.  [code42]

Code42 support document explaining the end of life for CrashPlan Enterprise on Windows Servers

Here’s the quote from the official support page:

Code42 applications are designed to back up and secure end-user devices, such as laptops and desktops. They are not intended to back up or secure data on servers. Thus Code42 is ending support for Code42 apps on Windows operating systems that are intended to run on servers. Running the Code42 app on unsupported operating systems may produce undesirable results.

This statement and reasoning were slightly contradicting and bewildering when taking a step back and looking at the big picture…

1. Because customers utilizing an Enterprise-grade backup solution should expect secure data backups at a minimum; whether it’s on a workstation, laptop, or server.
2. The motive behind the CrashPlan changes is to it shift its focus primarily on Business and Commercial grade backup services.
3. While at the same time they are killing support for Servers at the Enterprise level because the solution is not secure enough.
4. Additionally, they are ending consumer-grade backups which were focused on personal computers.
5. So that they can narrow in on small business backup services which consist primarily of workstations, laptops, and probably a server or two.

Perplexing…

…luckily you can read this thread where one person was able to get some clarification directly from a CrashPlan rep.

Many People Are Looking for a Reliable Server Backup Alternative as a Result of This Change

File-level backup with versioning from r/msp

The Problem Is Real

– Twitter is full of  CrashPlan users that are literally reaching out for help!

Did anyone find a proper replacement for #crashplan yet? I don’t quite like that all offered alternatives are for one computer only as opposed to several.

— jlengrand (@jlengrand) January 4, 2018

– including users who are having a hard time after moving to the new suggested CrashPlan upgrade

Bloody hell. First #Code42 cancelled #Crashplan for Home and now they changed the interface of #Crashplan for small business and not in a good wT. Most things are unclear, removing backup destinations doesn’t work, each restore you have to type your encryption key. This sucks!!!

— TwitLuvDude (@TwitLuvDude) December 29, 2017