Fury as BT's Digital Vault fails

Sounds like an example of "Head in the Clouds" computing to me. I use my Apple Time Machine to do regular backups automatically. It just works!

By SwissMac on 12 Oct 2009

Backups... but no Restores?

So first Microsoft and now BT have to tell customers that their backed-up data has disappeared.

Presumably none of the people involved go back to the mainframe era, where the inability to restore data would have means the Ops Manager was in "P45 mode", and possibly the company would have gone bankrupt.

"Those who do not learn the lessons of history are fated to repeat the mistakes."

By JohnGray7581 on 12 Oct 2009

Lack Of Customer Care?

I too was shocked to find that after several days of suspecting that something was amiss with BT Auto Backup/BT Digital Vault that on checking the system logs, no backups had run successfully run for several days. When I contacted the Digital Vault team, I was first told that the problem was at my end, then that there were problems with a few users then finally (after I exploded at one of their service desk people on the phone) that most users were indeed affected. When asked why no email had been sent (via a global distribution list) I was told that this had been thought about but it was too late now!
I feel sorry for those people who were badly affected by this problem, especially those who lost valuable data - I can at least backup to DVD on a regular basis. But what about BT's Duty of Care to it's customers - I feel that they should be liable morally (and possibly legally) for the failure to pass on warnings about the failed service.

By jazomir on 12 Oct 2009

This really is pathetic. This isn't just bad customer relations, it's actual technical incompetence. Heads should roll.

By c6ten on 12 Oct 2009

There is no way I would ever trust my data with a company like BT.

By DaChimp on 12 Oct 2009

I am pretty sure that BT have NOT actually lost any customers data from the Vault. But, as a regular user of the Digital Vault its been a very frustrating couple of months. I have had to find alternative online backup sites and this has proved quite expensive. I wish BT would get this fixed, its just one problem after another, I cant even log on to it tonight !

By PCPROFAN on 12 Oct 2009

One word

Carbonite. On PC Pro's recommendation, it does the job, blends seamlessly into Windows, and I have never known it to have downtime in the 2 years I've used it.

By halsteadk on 12 Oct 2009

Illogical, Captain

When people say "nothing's gone wrong with it", what they mean is "I don't know what will happen *when* something goes wrong with it". Up to the last few weeks, the BT userbase would have said the same thing. What you want to hear is "when they lost it, they were back within X"

By Steve_Cassidy on 12 Oct 2009

And this is why...

I've been saying, for the past 3 years, that Cloud Computing isn't a plug-in replacement for local data and services, they need a symbiotic relationship.

If one fails, the other takes over, seemlessly. If the internet connection fails, you can also continue to work locally, re-syncing when it is back.

The T-Mobile Sidekick disaster (caused by an MS subsidiary) was a clear example of what can go wrong, now this...

I used MobileMe, my data is on my iMac, my Vista machine, my work machine and my iPhone, and they all synchronise with the cloud. If any one fails, I can still carry on with the rest.

I also use TimeMachine, plus another external drive on the Windows machine and the important docs in iDisk and I'm looking at DropBox as well.

At work, my documents are held on the server (backed up daily), but the laptop syncs them locally at login and logoff. That means if the network goes down, the server goes down or I take the laptop with me, I can still work and the most I will lose are a couple of hours of edits.

Redundancy is the key, not replacement of one weakpoint with another weakpoint outside your control.

By big_D on 13 Oct 2009

Stormy weather

Just one of many reasons that I'm not convinced by cloud computing.

By Grunthos on 13 Oct 2009

BT Response Challenge

I love the way the BT spokesman said this was an intermittent fault - when it lasted about two months, and then talked about it being the fault of an upgrade, which as yet does not appear to have been implemented ! Nice try BT, now how about a proper apology.....

By PCPROFAN on 13 Oct 2009

BT Digital Vault Hopeless

IMO this has always been an inferior product: I started using it in Nov 06 and gave up in total exasperation in Sept 07. Customer Service was also totally unresponsive. My last e-mail to them (at the end of a one-sided thread to Residential Services) read "If you ever wonder why I am cancelling BT Digital Vault, you need look no further than here." Needless to say, no reply was ever received.

By greenfly on 15 Oct 2009

Do BT value their customers?

I moved house recently and tok my BT account with me. Or so I thought.

BT said "Your BT Vault account is now closed"so I lost material, and storage, I thoght I had paid for. Despite all effirts, they've not replied or restored.

By ronmoule on 15 Oct 2009

Cloudbusting

Big D's spot on, I'd never trust a single source to my essential data.

By trgzbaby on 15 Oct 2009

Demonstration of BT values

I stopped using BT for anything crucial years ago.

It seemed to me that their "Customer Service" function is for BT's benefit, not ours. The attitude I experienced was not "Here's a customer with a problem" but "Only 0.0001% of the customer base aren't happy - isn't that good?".

I concluded that with the BT monolith you either accept exactly what they choose to offer - including downtime - or you take your business elsewhere.

M_McC

By M_McC on 15 Oct 2009

It never worked for me anyway

I was a loyal BT customer for several years, but their Digital Vault never worked properly, too forever to "analyse" the minimal data I was backing up, and often would not let me into the web site.
THeir other software was also rubbish, though it was supposed to help keep the PC running smooth and fast.
I left tehm; best thing I ever did on internet supply.

By fellwalker2000 on 15 Oct 2009

Problem sorted - I don't think so!

Quote: "There was an intermittent fault limited to the Auto Backup Manager which affected only a small number of customers and has since been rectified. At no time were customers’ personal files or content at risk."
There were two major issues here - the first was that BT AutoBackup was not working and many (non technical) customers would have been unaware that this was the case due to the plethora of messages and backup failures that ensued. Then there was the fact that BT failed to contact their customer base to inform them of potential problems and failures and recommend that they use some other form of security backup until the problems were cleared.
I am still not convinced that the problems have been successfully fixed and am still in contact with BT having refused to allow them to close my outstanding problem record until I can guarantee that BT Auto Backup is fully operation and working as advertised.
Suggest that other users do the same.

By jazomir on 15 Oct 2009

Problem sorted - I don't think so!

Quote: "There was an intermittent fault limited to the Auto Backup Manager which affected only a small number of customers and has since been rectified. At no time were customers’ personal files or content at risk."
There were two major issues here - the first was that BT AutoBackup was not working and many (non technical) customers would have been unaware that this was the case due to the plethora of messages and backup failures that ensued. Then there was the fact that BT failed to contact their customer base to inform them of potential problems and failures and recommend that they use some other form of security backup until the problems were cleared.
I am still not convinced that the problems have been successfully fixed and am still in contact with BT having refused to allow them to close my outstanding problem record until I can guarantee that BT Auto Backup is fully operation and working as advertised.
Suggest that other users do the same.

By jazomir on 15 Oct 2009

(Very) Poor Example of Online Backup

The most damaging thing about this report is the reflection it will cast over all cloud service providers. BT is a massive company. Their core service area is in telephony, which arguably they don't do very well anyway, but nevertheless it is their chief competency. In recent times they have tried diversification into many different service areas - areas that they don't specialise in. These companies think that setting up an online backup service is easy. You write a bit of software and send people's data to a data centre. But they have no expertise in this field at all. The software is buggy, the customer service team is often untrained and outsourced, and they, crucially, only backup to one data centre to save on cost. The whole process is akin to a pizza restaurant suddenly deciding it's going to start offering investment banking service too.

The first red flag with these providers has to be with the price. If you're only paying peanuts - what do you expect? Do you really think that backend infrastructure exists to ensure your data is properly secure. As a managed online backup service provider it annoys me that these companies turn people's heads with rock bottom pricing but then act surprised when things turn ugly.

Cloud computing does work, you just need to choose the right provider. Microsoft didn't backup to a secondary data centre when they lost customer data - school boy error. BT had a cheap, buggy piece of software and outsourced their customer support to untrained personnel. And for whoever recommended Carbonite, wasn't that the same company who lost 7500 customer's data back in May this year? All because their back-end wasn't being monitored properly.

All of these incidents could and should have been avoided.

Harry Burton
Backup Direct

By harryburton on 20 Oct 2009

All OK now?

I had problems all through summer 2009 with whole weeks unable to connect. For the past 3-4 months auto-backup seems to be working (almost) reliably. Is this a common experience and if so, does anyone know what BT have done? Things like this don't just get better on their own.

By macclad on 24 Feb 2010

All OK now?

I had problems all through summer 2009 with whole weeks unable to connect. For the past 3-4 months auto-backup seems to be working (almost) reliably. Is this a common experience and if so, does anyone know what BT have done? Things like this don't just get better on their own.

By macclad on 24 Feb 2010

Dear BT - Goodbye

I absolutely depend on backup. Your backup has never worked. The standing order has been cancelled. Goodbye.

Just want to make a point readers. The whole team should be fired for incompetence.

By chrisclarkgold on 13 Apr 2010

wrong product/supplier/price

I steer my clients away from BT for the simple reason that I do not have time, and cannot reasonably charge my customers for that time, where it takes 30 minutes to get precisely nowhere with BT support, whilst preferred suppliers resolve problems, or make clear progress along a clearly defined resolution route, within 5 minutes.

As with Carbonite, BT digital vault fails - it gives the uninformed the impression of taking care of your backup, when for light users a locally held USB pen or DVDRW would be a vital 1st line defence, and for big data users, a local external or network hard drive and suitable sync software are a vital 1st line backup, since the online backup provider may suffer their own down time, and when you need your data, usually, you need it just about right now!
In fact, for £40 you now get a large external drive with sync software/integration, so everyone should have one for their initial local backup... then, and only then, online backup becomes a valuable 2nd line backup strategy.
Better than nothing, probably, but no one cares about your own data as much as you do.

By rupertwilson on 12 Apr 2011