23 weeks agoWe won’t be getting into web services backup, but you can

First of all, let me say that I’m not looking for investors in my company, so what follows is not a solicitation of funding, take it at face value.

I’ve just read the news that Backupify got 900K in funding. Backupify is an online service that backups data from online accounts, mostly for various social services: Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, but also Gmail, Google Docs and a couple more. I’m happy for them, as Rob May is one of the few people around who have a healthy amount of skepticism, understand survivor bias etc. So I really wish his ventures to succeed — I’d like to see thoughtful approach rewarded, as I consider myself approaching things thoughtfully as well.

What this investment tells me is that their field is perceived as ripe for the picking. The problem is that S3 Backup 1.0 is at the door and soon I’ll have my hands full promoting and further developing the app, then there’s a server edition, a Mac port and a lineup of related products waiting for their turn. So I can’t just add online service / social backup to the pile of “things I gotta do”. On the other hand, compared to the complexity of desktop software, all the cross-platform issues, GUI programming, filesystems quirks, don’t get me started... compared to all that online accounts backup is a very straightforward task. I’m not saying it’s easy, but all the complex things about it, I’ve already figured out in my previous and current projects.

Also, it’s no secret that there’s more to business than technology, so even if I can do the tech part with my eyes closed, the business of it, that I don’t have the time or resources to get into. So here’s an idea: this is not in direct competition with that we do around here, so I don’t mind helping someone getting into that field. We would handle the initial development, you would make a business out of it. And it would cost you way less than 900K, too.

Short version: if you want to get into online services backup business fast and with a competitive, scalable solution, drop us a line.

- Sergey