Mozy

Mozy, Inc., originally established as Berkeley Data Systems in 2005 by founder Josh Coates, carved a niche in the online backup service market. Coates, leveraging insights from his previous venture, Scale Eight, and his background in large-scale storage systems from his time at UC Berkeley and Microsoft Research, identified a gap in the market for a reliable remote backup solution. His experience with his first company, which involved developing scalable storage software, directly informed Mozy's technological foundation.

The company's core business was providing cloud-based data backup services for Windows and macOS users, with Linux support added later. Mozy's business model was rooted in a subscription-based service, offering various plans to a diverse client base that included individual consumers, small to medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises. For consumers, MozyHome provided personal backup solutions, which initially included an unlimited storage plan that was later replaced with tiered pricing based on storage volume. For the business segment, MozyPro and MozyEnterprise offered more robust features, such as server backups, administrative controls for managing multiple users, and pooled storage. Revenue was generated through monthly or annual subscription fees corresponding to the chosen service tier and storage capacity.

Mozy's service was characterized by its automated backup functionality, which, after an initial full backup, would only upload new or altered portions of files to its secure data centers. This approach optimized bandwidth and storage usage. Users could restore their data through a dedicated software manager, directly from the client, or by ordering a physical external drive containing their files. The platform also provided features like local backup (2xProtect) and file synchronization (Mozy Stash), enhancing its value proposition.

The company experienced a significant growth trajectory, leading to its acquisition by EMC in October 2007 for $76 million. Under EMC, and later Dell Technologies following its acquisition of EMC in 2016, Mozy continued to operate and expand its services. By 2018, Mozy served over 100,000 businesses and 6 million individuals. In a strategic move, Dell sold Mozy to its competitor, Carbonite, Inc., in March 2018 for approximately $145.8 million. Carbonite subsequently began a process of integrating Mozy's customer base onto its own platform, ultimately announcing the shutdown of Mozy as an independent service in 2019.

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