IS&T’s hosted CrashPlan Backup Service for BU faculty and staff will be unavailable November 12-14, while the CrashPlan software is upgraded. Please note:

  • Clients who have purchased personal cloud backup storage directly through CrashPlan are not affected. This upgrade applies only to faculty and staff machines owned by Boston University.
  • If you are planning to be off the network during those two days, don’t worry! We will be tracking the updates and will make sure the patch gets pushed to your computer when you return to the network.
  • You will be able to use your computer normally while the upgrade is happening. The upgrade will run in the background and you will not notice it unless you happen to have the CrashPlan client open when the upgrade occurs.
  • Your laptop can come and go from the BU network, just as it normally would. Your CrashPlan software will be updated at some point between November 12 and 14 when your computer is connected to the BU network.  If you happen to leave the network during the install, the interrupted update will resume once you reconnect.
  • In terms of the actual upgrade, there is nothing you need to do. However, if you require an alternative method of protecting your data during the two-day window, we recommend that you sign up for the Data Archiving service. Note that, unlike with the CrashPlan Backup Service, files that require backup will need to be manually archived by “drag and drop” after saving them to your computer; they will not automatically sync to the archive. More information about the Data Archiving service is available.
  • Please note that the Data Archiving service has not been approved for Restricted Use Data. In addition, unlike the CrashPlan Backup Service,  Data Archiving does not automatically encrypt files. It is recommended that any sensitive data be encrypted prior to moving it into the archive.

We apologize for any inconvenience this service interruption may cause. If you have any questions regarding the CrashPlan Backup Service upgrade, or encounter any issues following the upgrade, please submit a Help request or contact the IT Help Center at 617-353-HELP(4357).