I think this is an incorrect assessment of that 430K customer base and the target market for that specific BackBlaze product.
The product is really aimed at people are either vaguely aware or fully aware that they need a backup product but don't know where to turn and want something simple.
It's aimed at people like me who need to recommend a backup product to friends, family members, etc. that I can simply direct them to install (or install for them) and requires next to no configuration to get up and running. It's minimally configured and just runs reliably in the background, rarely to be thought of again. All for a small, consistent monthly fee.
It is not targeted at backup enthusiasts, and DEFINITELY not the DataHoarder crowd, though I know some in that community do find ways to somehow use the service.
To that end, BackBlaze has made strategic choices to increase the chances that they are unlikely to be an attractive option to the DataHoarder or backup enthusiast or 20TB homelab folks:
1) As I said, the client offers little configuration compared to more powerful and flexible backup options. When you backup using their backup client, it is all done under their storage and retrieval preferences and paradigm. (In my experience, these communities tend to want more ability to configure, not less)
2) They don't offer a Linux client
3) They don't allow you to backup network shares. Nor do they allow you to back up a drive and then disconnect it. (After BackBlaze can no longer see the file, it will only retain it for 30 days)
I would imagine that these strategic choices have worked, because from what I see, the BackBlaze Unlimited service does not seem to be all that popular within the DataHoarder or "I need to store 100TB for $5/mo. and retrieve it all every few weeks" communities.
The product is really aimed at people are either vaguely aware or fully aware that they need a backup product but don't know where to turn and want something simple.
It's aimed at people like me who need to recommend a backup product to friends, family members, etc. that I can simply direct them to install (or install for them) and requires next to no configuration to get up and running. It's minimally configured and just runs reliably in the background, rarely to be thought of again. All for a small, consistent monthly fee.
It is not targeted at backup enthusiasts, and DEFINITELY not the DataHoarder crowd, though I know some in that community do find ways to somehow use the service.
To that end, BackBlaze has made strategic choices to increase the chances that they are unlikely to be an attractive option to the DataHoarder or backup enthusiast or 20TB homelab folks:
1) As I said, the client offers little configuration compared to more powerful and flexible backup options. When you backup using their backup client, it is all done under their storage and retrieval preferences and paradigm. (In my experience, these communities tend to want more ability to configure, not less)
2) They don't offer a Linux client
3) They don't allow you to backup network shares. Nor do they allow you to back up a drive and then disconnect it. (After BackBlaze can no longer see the file, it will only retain it for 30 days)
I would imagine that these strategic choices have worked, because from what I see, the BackBlaze Unlimited service does not seem to be all that popular within the DataHoarder or "I need to store 100TB for $5/mo. and retrieve it all every few weeks" communities.