Three recently launched startups offer consumers and professionals the option to collectively back up their information. These sites are Wua.la, AllMyData.com and Cucku.com.
Their strategies differ. Wua.la backs up data on a network of participating computers and asks users to exchange space on their own hard drives for more overall storage space. AllMyData.com offers 1 gigbyte of free storage, with the option to pay $4.99 per month to get more.
Cucku.com adds a personal layer to backup. Users choose a trusted friend or family member to partner with, and then both parties install Cucku's proprietary software.
Once installed, the program will regularly make copies of selected files, storing a backup locally and sending encrypted, unreadable copies to the partner computer.
Cucku uses the Skype peer-to-peer network to shuttle data back and forth. As of now, it's only available for Windows systems, with a Mac version in the works.
TechCrunch's Jason Kincaid noted that Cucku has some major technical problems built into its business model.
"Users will need to give up significant chunks of their hard drive space to make room for their friends’ data - when that 'low disk space' message pops up, your precious backup will likely be the first thing to go," he said. "And what happens when your friend goes on vacation for a few weeks and doesn’t leave his computer on?"
Kincaid also noted that increased bandwidth usage plagues all peer-to-peer sharing solutions.
"Backing up more than a few gigs can take weeks or months," he said.
Other collective backup solutions include Mozy.com and Carbonite.com.