I'm Dave. I've been supporting small businesses in central New Jersey since 2011. Data backup is the single most important thing most NJ small businesses aren't doing properly — and I know that because I've seen what happens when a ransomware attack or a server failure hits a business with no clean offsite backup. This guide covers exactly what you should be running, including how Backblaze and Acronis work and what they actually cost.
The best backup solution is the one you actually have running and verified — not the one you planned to set up last year.
I've helped New Jersey small businesses recover from ransomware attacks, server failures, and flooded offices. In every one of those situations, the outcome came down to one thing: did they have a clean, current, offsite backup? If yes — we restored and they were back running the same day or the next. If no — it was a significantly worse conversation.
The most common situation we find when a new NJ business calls us: they think they're backed up. They have a drive plugged into the server or a backup software icon in the system tray. But nobody has checked the dashboard in six months, the first backup never fully completed, or the drive is mapped as a network share — exactly where ransomware goes first. Knowing you need backup and actually having a working backup are two different things.
Before choosing a product, understand the framework. The 3-2-1 rule is the industry standard for data protection and it applies to every business regardless of size.
Your live working files count as one copy. You need two additional backups. Having only one backup means a simultaneous failure of your working data and your backup leaves you with nothing.
Don't keep both backups on the same type of storage. Local backup on a NAS or external drive is one type. Cloud backup is another. Hardware failures and ransomware affect one type — rarely both simultaneously.
At least one backup must live off your premises. A fire, flood, theft, or ransomware attack that destroys your office cannot reach your offsite copy. This is what cloud backup provides — and why it's not optional.
Backblaze and Acronis cover different situations. Here's the short version — the right fit for your business depends on what you're actually running.
Backblaze is the straightforward option — a lightweight agent runs on each computer and backs up files to the cloud continuously, with no storage cap per device. A centralized dashboard shows backup status across your whole organization. For a workstation-only NJ business, it's the most affordable entry point to real offsite protection.
Acronis is the heavier tool — it combines backup, ransomware protection, and endpoint security in one agent. It supports full disk imaging, server backup, virtual machine backup, Microsoft 365 backup, and bare-metal restore. If your business has a server or needs to be back up and running on different hardware within the hour, Acronis is the right conversation.
A direct comparison of what matters most for a central NJ small business backup decision.
| Feature | Backblaze Business Backup | Acronis Cyber Protect |
|---|---|---|
| Workstation file backup | ✓ Yes — no storage cap per device | ✓ Yes — with disk imaging |
| Full disk image backup | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Bare-metal restore | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Windows Server backup | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Virtual machine backup (VMware/Hyper-V) | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Microsoft 365 backup | ✗ No | ✓ Yes — Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams |
| Built-in ransomware protection | ✗ No | ✓ Yes — AI-based behavioral detection |
| Centralized management | ✓ Yes — web console | ✓ Yes — web console |
| Mac support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Setup complexity | Low — agent install, set and forget | Medium-High — more configuration required |
| Approximate starting price | Pricing varies — contact vendor for quote | Pricing varies — contact vendor for quote |
| SOC 2 / HIPAA compliance | ✓ SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA BAA available | ✓ SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR |
Having backup software installed is not the same as having a working backup. These are the gaps we find most often when a business calls us after something goes wrong.
Both Backblaze and Acronis require an initial full backup before incremental backups make sense. That first backup can take days — sometimes longer — depending on data volume and your upload speed. We've seen businesses running for months believing they were backed up when the dashboard showed the first backup was still 40% complete. You don't know until you check.
Both platforms send failure alerts — a machine that hasn't backed up in days, an agent that stopped running after an update, a full disk blocking backups. Those alerts go to an email address. If nobody is reading that inbox, the backup is silently failing and you won't know until you need a restore. Monitoring matters as much as installation.
A backup you've never restored from is a backup you don't actually have — you have a backup that might work. The only way to know your recovery process works is to run it. Most businesses never do this until they're in a crisis, which is exactly the wrong time to discover a configuration problem.
Default backup settings don't always cover everything that matters. QuickBooks company files stored in unusual locations, shared network drives, external drives with project files — these often fall outside default backup paths. Getting the scope right requires knowing where your business-critical data actually lives.
Acronis is powerful and complex. Retention policies, backup chains, bootable media, and bare-metal restore all need to be set up correctly and documented. An Acronis installation without a tested, documented recovery plan is expensive software providing a false sense of security.
💼 Any of these sound familiar? These aren't edge cases — they're the normal state for most NJ small businesses that tried to set up backup themselves. We assess, fix, and monitor it properly. Call us before you need a restore, not after.
📞 Call (908) 428-9558 — Let's Look at What You HaveWalk-in welcome · No appointment needed · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ · Drop-Off Only
From ransomware recovery to backup setup, NJ small businesses in Somerset, Mercer, and Middlesex County trust Dave's with their critical data.
"Ransomware hit us on a Friday afternoon. Called Dave's. They helped us recover from our Backblaze backup over the weekend and we were back online Monday morning. If we hadn't had that cloud backup set up, we would have been finished. Dave's set it up for us six months before the attack."
"Our server died completely. Dave's had us set up with Acronis, did a bare-metal restore to a new machine, and we lost less than a day of data. Before we found Dave's we had no real backup strategy. Now we do and it saved us."
"Dave's assessed our backup situation, told us our external drive strategy wasn't going to protect us from ransomware, set us up on Backblaze for all 8 workstations, and checks in monthly. Night and day from where we were."
Backup setup isn't a one-time task — it's an ongoing responsibility. Here's how we support NJ businesses with it.
We look at what you're running before recommending anything. The right backup solution for a 3-person office with only laptops is different from one with a server and QuickBooks.
We deploy Backblaze or Acronis agents across your machines, verify the initial backup completes, configure retention policies, and test recovery before calling it done.
We've helped NJ businesses recover from ransomware incidents. That experience informs how we set up backup — not just for normal recovery, but for the worst-case scenario.
Backups fail silently. We check backup status for our managed clients and alert them when something needs attention — before it becomes a crisis.
Healthcare, legal, and financial businesses in NJ have specific backup and retention requirements. We know which platforms (Backblaze with HIPAA BAA, Acronis with SOC 2) meet those requirements.
We've been supporting small businesses in Somerville and across central NJ since 2011. We're not a national helpdesk — you talk to us directly, every time.
The questions we get most at the counter from NJ small business owners about data backup.
It depends on what you're running. Workstations only — Backblaze. Servers, VMs, or Microsoft 365 — Acronis, or both. The bigger issue is usually not which software, but whether it's actually configured correctly and monitoring is in place. Call us and we'll assess what you have before recommending anything.
No. An external drive connected to your network gets encrypted by ransomware along with everything else. It also disappears in a fire, flood, or theft. External drives are useful for fast local recovery of individual files — they are not a substitute for offsite cloud backup. The 3-2-1 rule requires one copy offsite. "Under my desk" is not offsite.
Backblaze Business Backup covers individual Windows and Mac workstations — not Windows Server environments or virtual machines. Server backup is Acronis's territory. If you're not sure what category your setup falls into, bring it to us — the answer changes what you need.
The Advanced tier does — with AI-based behavioral detection and a safe recovery feature that scans backup images for malware before you restore. But ransomware protection is only as good as the configuration. Acronis installed incorrectly or without an active recovery plan doesn't protect you the way it should. This is exactly the kind of setup that needs professional eyes on it.
Pricing varies by platform, team size, and workload type — reach out to Backblaze and Acronis directly for a current quote. Both platforms adjust licensing periodically. Call us at (908) 428-9558 and we can help you figure out which platform fits your setup before you start getting vendor quotes.
Yes — it's one of the core things we do for NJ small businesses. We assess your environment, deploy the right solution, configure it correctly, verify it's actually running, and handle monitoring on an ongoing basis. Call (908) 428-9558 or see our small business IT support page.
First time working with Dave's Computers? Bring this coupon and take $20 off your first service at our Somerville NJ shop.
Show this coupon at drop-off. Mention code "BACKUP20" at the counter or when you call.
Code: BACKUP20 · Dave's Computers · 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876 · (908) 428-9558
One location, drop-off only. Dave's Computers has one location at 75 N Bridge St, Somerville NJ 08876. We do not offer on-site or in-home service anywhere in New Jersey. All work is performed at our Somerville shop. Curbside drop-off is available.
Call us or come in. We'll assess what you're running, recommend the right solution, and make sure it's set up correctly — not just installed and forgotten.
📞 (908) 428-9558