Founded in 2000, Global Data Vault Corp. focuses on the business user. Its dataVault service is based on NovaStor's NovaNet-Web backup software system. Customer data is stored in a pair of high-security data centers, located in undisclosed locations somewhere near Denver. Apparently, had they told us where, they'd have had to kill us.

Setting up the dataVault/NovaStor agent was a breeze--initial configuration required only that we enter basic server and account data. We were then prompted to set up our desired level of encryption and password management. We could use either DES or Triple DES encryption, but the system defaults to heavy-duty 448-bit Blowfish. We were also given the option to use our account password as the key or set up a separate encryption key.

Wizards guided us through most basic backup-and- restore functions. The default configurations were acceptable--even backup novices shouldn't go too far astray. The service is oriented to data-only backups, however, so we found no tools to capture machine state or open database and e-mail service files. If necessary, dataVault does support open file capture through the purchase of optional St. Bernard Open File Manager software, but basic service supports only static data backups.

Incremental backups are handled using NovaStor's FastBIT binary patching technology, which compared our files to the original full backup and extracted "patches" of binary data that represent only specific changes, reducing both transfer times and off-site storage requirements. We could schedule backups at multiple times throughout the day, or in any combination of daily or weekly increments.

File restoration was simple and wizard-driven, and we had the option of 14 iterative restoration levels. In addition, dataVault supports Web-based restoration; we could log in to our archive and restore data from any remote computer. This online feature also supports data deletion from the online archive, a relatively different--and dangerous--ability that should be treated with respect.

The cost of dataVault's online backup service was $29 per month for up to 2 GB of stored data, based on a standard backup account with a 14-level historical retention scheme--equating to 14 days in a daily backup strategy. Extended retention is available, as are discounts for high-volume accounts. Technical support is available online, through e-mail or chat session; and 24/7 emergency telephone assistance is available at no charge, though after-hour callers may experience a nominal wait while the provider pages a technician for a callback.

dataVault. Global Data Vault Corp., (888) 861-3040, (970) 375-0111. www.globaldatavault.com