Review: The ClickFree Automatic Backup Drive

By Gerry Blackwell
August 12, 2008

In the continuing quest for the perfect small business backup product – one that works simply enough that busy, non-technical workers will actually use it and get the protection they need from it – Storage Appliance Corp. may have struck gold.

SAC’s ClickFree portable backup devices, portable USB drives with onboard backup software, do everything most small businesses need, and do it so automatically that you won’t have any excuses for not backing up your data.

The first ClickFree product, the 120GB HD701, which we reviewed, sells at the company’s Web site for $130. It’s also available from a long list of retailers, and distributors.

The second product, the 160GB HD801, is coming soon. It works exactly the same as the original ClickFree. Both let you back up multiple computers to the same drive. The company also has kits for automatically backing up files on DVDs.

The ClickFree hard drive products are comparable in size to a box of cigars and not much heavier (4.52- x 0.67- x 2.99-inches, 6.35 ounces). This is important because it means you can easily slip one into a jacket pocket, briefcase or purse and take it home at the end of the day – after backing up your computers, of course. That way if the office burns down, you don’t lose your data.

How simple are they to use?

Idiot Proof

Unlike some backup systems that launch automatically according to a programmed schedule and perform unattended, you do have to remember to take action with ClickFree. But in almost every other respect, the process is very intuitive and automatic.

You plug the device into a computer using …

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