Under lock and key

In an effort to bring value-added services to its customers, Time Warner Communications of Southern California has partnered with on-line data management company @Backup to offer secure data storage to its Road Runner customers. The service initially will be offered to customers in Los Angeles and Orange County.

"We think it is a significant opportunity for both partners," said Jim Till, chairman and CEO for @Backup. "The combination of the two services addresses what we believe is the fundamental user issue in the Internet."

Through the alliance, Road Runner customers will automatically get @Backup service free for three months and then for $39.95 a year if they want to continue, discounted from $99.95. The service provides automatic off-site storage for all types of computer data and features bank-level security.

Used by government agencies and trialed by Andersen Consulting, the @Backup service is safe to use via the Internet, the company claims. The service mainly attracts the small office/home office sector, but with the partnership, hopes to appeal to a broader market. With that in mind, however, security can be somewhat of an issue.

To allay fears surrounding security, @Backup made the system airtight. It provides three levels of encryption - data is maintained in a protected mode, encrypted during the transmission and locked until a user calls it up. Not even @Backup personnel can access files without knowing the customer's password.

To further protect data, the company stores multiple redundant copies of all encrypted files, using RAID, hierarchical storage management, redundant and non-interruptible power supplies, redundant network connectivity and high-availability servers.

"This is truly an example of on-line data protection offering a sticky solution to keep customers for life," said Till.

The week of May 17 marked the beginning of the service, which is currently offered in Los Angeles and will be rolled out in Orange County in early June, said Till. Some 380,000 homes are expected to use the service by the end of the year. "By partnering with [Internet service providers], there is an opportunity to include the software in the installation process," he said. "It is automatic once installed by Road Runner technicians."

In terms of expansion, Till said he would like to first get a few markets under his belt. Other Time Warner markets that have contacted the company include Kansas City, Mo.; Austin, Texas; Tampa, and Manhattan, N.Y. All are scheduled for service between now and the end of the year, said Till.

"Additional applications make sense," he said, including features such as Web calendars and e-mail that keep customers at a site longer.

On-line backup is what Till calls a "sticky solution," allowing the ISP to host something important to the end user. The more data that is hosted, the more likely one is going to stick around.

"We were looking for a way to add value to our product," said Amber Minson, product manager at Time Warner. "This is a perfect fit because we have speed with Road Runner, and if a customer travels, he or she never has to worry if files are gone or on CD or floppy."

The company went to @Backup after a few employees who use the service suggested it for Time Warner customers.

"We were users and [@Backup] is great for our customers," said Minson. "Our primary concern was that [the service] be customerfriendly." This is just one of many other deals Time Warner is looking into in order to offer more services to potential customers, said Minson.