Written by Callum Sinclair - Product Engineering Manager.

Comet 25.5.0 Hyperion​

Comet 25.5.0 Hyperion, our latest Quarterly release, brings 3 new features and 9 enhancements, including automatic Storage Vault unlocking, automatically switching jobs to use on-disk indexes, a new option to backup everything in a Microsoft 365 domain, and more.

The full set of changes can be found in the release notes.

Why Hyperion?​

This Quarterly release is named after Saturn's moon Hyperion. Fun fact: Hyperion is potato shaped and its deeply cratered surface resembles a sponge. Hyperion rotates chaotically, tumbling unpredictably through space as it orbits Saturn.

Webinar announcement​

Join us for our Quarterly webinar on Tuesday 10 June (4pm ET / 1pm PT). Comet's CTO, Mason, and Product Engineering Manager, Callum, will cover all the latest product updates, with a live question-and-answer session at the end.

New Feature: Automatic Storage Vault unlocking​

Storage Vault locking is a core part of Comet that ensures backup and retention passes can run safely on multiple devices sharing the same Storage Vault. A Storage Vault is only locked when critical changes are being made to the data in the Storage Vault, such as when unused data is being removed as part of a retention pass.

As part of our efforts to improve the experience of Comet, we have added functionality to automatically change Storage Vault access keys for some of our supported storage providers. This allows admins to unlock compatible Storage Vaults without the risk of data loss.

The following Storage Vault types are currently supported:

• Comet Storage
• Amazon AWS
• Wasabi

Storage Vaults can also be automatically unlocked. This can be configured in user policy settings. This is great for admins who want to resolve Storage Vault locking issues without introducing a data loss risk.

New Feature: Automatically Switch Jobs To Use On-Disk Indexes​

Comet makes use of in-memory indexes to optimise backup and retention pass jobs to maintain a list of where the data is in the Storage Vault. For larger Storage Vaults, this can lead to a large amount of data held in memory. On devices that have a lower amount of RAM, this can cause a job to fail as there is not enough available memory to complete the job. Comet's solution is to store the indexes on-disk using temporary files instead. This is because devices can often have more free disk space than available RAM.

When a scheduled backup or retention pass requires more RAM than is available, Comet will now automatically switch to store the indexes using temporary files on disk.

Enhancement: New option to back up everything in a Microsoft 365 domain​

We are introducing the new "Back up everything" option for Microsoft 365 backups. This option provides a simple way to back up everything within a domain, including any accounts that are added later.

To back up everything with exceptions, users should instead create a group in Microsoft 365 and have the group auto-assign to new accounts. Users to be excluded can be removed from the group, and this group can then be selected in Comet.

Enhancement: Linux Disk Image driver now installs automatically​

Comet uses a custom Linux kernel driver backupsnap61 to snapshot a block device during a Linux Disk Image Protected Item backup.

In previous releases, backupsnap61 had to be installed manually using the backupsnap61-install.sh script found in the Comet Backup install directory.

Without backupsnap61 installed, Comet can't guarantee it can get exclusive read access to a block device. This will appear as a warning in a Linux Disk Image backup job log.

Now, backupsnap61 is installed automatically by Comet to ensure a snapshot driver is always available before starting a Linux Disk Image backup.

Enhancement: Bulk Cancel Jobs using the Comet Management Console​

From the Comet Management Console, admins are able to monitor and manage thousands of devices and backup jobs. To continue Comet's mission to make managing backups as easy as possible, it is now possible to cancel running jobs in bulk from the Job Logs page on a Comet Management Console.

This is an effective way to stop all currently running backup jobs with one click.

Enhancement: Updated Translations​

Comet has updated in-app translations for 13 languages. These are Danish, German, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Croatian, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Europe), Russian, Polish and Thai.

Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist

May marks Mental Health Month in the US and Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK (May 12-18, 2025). It’s the perfect time to talk about something that is often overlooked in the workplace: our mental wellbeing and how we’re really doing.

At Comet Backup, we care about keeping our team healthy and happy. Every Friday, we share a quick wellness tip during our all-hands meeting, and we’ve got a Slack channel dedicated to wellbeing tips, healthy recipes, and other resources.

We want to help start the conversation and share some tips and ideas to help support you and your technicians.

So, what is Mental Health Awareness all about?​

It’s about understanding that mental wellbeing matters just as much as physical health. It's also about breaking the stigma around mental health struggles—and making it easier to speak up, check in, and ask for help when needed. We want to help encourage having open conversations in the workplace.

Why It Matters in the IT World​

Working in IT and managed services often means long hours, on-call stress, and high-pressure environments and expectations. Whether you're jumping between urgent support tickets or juggling multiple client needs, burnout can creep in fast if you're not careful.

As an MSP or IT professional, do some of these challenges sound familiar?

• Always on-call: After-hours alerts and weekend fixes can wear you down.
• Constant firefighting: Solving problems all day, every day, with little breathing room.
• Pressure from clients: Juggling expectations and staying calm under pressure.
• Working solo: Remote work or small teams can feel isolating at times.

5 Workplace Wellbeing Tips for MSPs & IT Professionals​

For many IT professionals, stress comes with the job, but there are things we can do to help manage that stress. Here are a few simple yet effective tips to help with workplace wellbeing:

1. Set Clear Boundaries Between Work and Personal Time
IT professionals are often “always on.” Define and stick to work hours, silence notifications after hours, and communicate your availability to clients to avoid burnout.

2. Take Regular Micro-Breaks
Stepping away—even for five minutes—helps reset your focus and reduces stress. Use a timer, like Pomodoro or breaktimer.app, to remind yourself to stretch, hydrate or get a cup of tea, or take a few minutes to look away from the screen (all screens, including the small screen).

3. Automate and Document Where Possible
Reduce decision fatigue and manual tasks by using automation tools and maintaining up-to-date documentation. It lightens the load and helps avoid that "everything depends on me" feeling.

4. Talk About Mental Health Openly
Make it normal to check in and have a friendly chat with coworkers—not just about tickets or projects, but about how they’re doing. A culture of openness leads to earlier support and less stigma.

5. Move Your Body
Whether it’s a short stroll around the block, a quick stretch at your desk, or having a standing meeting. Physical movement helps boost mental clarity, reduces stress, and it’s good for you.

Resources for Workplace Wellbeing​

We’ve gathered a few blogs and resources for workplace wellbeing and how to manage stress and avoid burnout at work that you can share with your team and your clients:

• Channel Pro Network – How Can An MSP Manage Workloads To Prevent Employee Burnout?
• Balance – How To Recover from Burnout
• Calm - The Pillars of Workplace Wellbeing (and why it matters)
• Headspace – Manage Workplace Stress

Let’s keep the conversation going – not just during Mental Health Month, but all year round. After all, healthy systems start with healthy teams.

Written by Natalie Marinelli - Marketing Manager

We sat down for a chat with Michelle Wong, Comet’s Marketing Specialist who has been with the company since July 2023. This piece has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into marketing?​

I sort of fell into marketing. My first love was rugby, I wanted to introduce everyone to the sport. I played at the University of Michigan and was in charge of recruiting players for our team. Without realizing I was doing marketing, I hand painted posters, designed merch, ran recruitment events, and created websites and social media pages to get the word out.

I’ve always loved being the hype-person for all the organizations and brands I’ve worked with, whether it was for rugby, the University of Michigan Rec Sports department, Kathmandu, and now at Comet Backup. My approach to marketing is to bring the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to promote the brand or company.

What’s your background in marketing before coming to Comet?​

I started out volunteering doing marketing for rugby clubs I’ve played on and various rugby organizations to champion the sport. For a few years, I covered USA Rugby’s day-to-day social media content, and their domestic competitions, international tournaments, and the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France.

When I came to New Zealand in 2014, I did data admin at Kathmandu, an outdoor retail brand. Then I moved into a customer service role doing community management for their social media platforms. Eventually, I transitioned onto their marketing team, where I specialized in email marketing and campaigns.

What was it like coming to Comet and pivoting to working in the IT software industry?​

Coming to work in the tech industry and B2B SaaS (software as a service) space was really new to me. Previously, I worked in B2C in the sports and retail sectors where I was the target market and end user, so I was very familiar with how to market to those audiences.

Comet was a new challenge because I don’t have an IT or tech background. But the team was incredibly helpful. They answered all my questions and made the transition easy for me.

What motivated you to make the leap between industries and roles?​

Before coming to Comet, I never really thought I would work in the tech industry. It wasn’t really on my radar.

But I was ready to try something new. I had specialized in email marketing at Kathmandu for almost four years, so I was looking for an opportunity to expand my marketing skills in other areas.

At Comet, I’ve stepped into a new phase in my career. I’ve had the opportunity to grow into a more well-rounded marketer and lead bigger projects. I get to create and implement the content strategy and own the content calendar, including email, organic social, blog posts, webinars, industry groups and integration partner marketing, and more. I love the variety of marketing activities and having creative freedom and autonomy.

What was it like coming to work at Comet even though you didn’t have a background in tech?​

Comet is really good at seeing the potential in people. Cultural fit is one of the key things we prioritize during the hiring process. We want to make sure everyone gets along and shares our values of collaboration, creativity and craftsmanship.

I didn’t have a tech background, but I was open to learning, and everyone at the company wants to help you succeed.

How did the team help set you up for success?​

When I first joined the company, I had one-on-one meetings with people from different departments. People from all areas of the business spent time with me, telling me about their role and how the backup software works.

Natalie, our Marketing Manager, made IT flashcards for me as a fun way to learn some of the industry specific terms. And I was given a lot of time to research and get a grasp on the tech industry and our audience (IT professionals).

Even now, I still spend time every week reading what IT people are saying in different forums and online community groups, learning what they care about, and what their challenges are.

What do you love about working at Comet?​

Genuinely it's the people. Everyone actually cares about you as a person. People are interested in what you did on the weekend and ask you about your hobbies or your holiday. Everyone's really genuine, friendly, and kind. We also have a lot of fun, great conversations and laugh a lot.

I feel comfortable asking anyone questions. I can go directly to the GM, CTO, Product Manager or whoever, and they'll have always make time for me. Everyone's really supportive and collaborative. We just want to help each other out.

What is the work culture like at Comet and on the marketing team?​

What I really love about working at Comet is that I feel valued and that my ideas matter. I can make an impact with the work I’m doing.

The projects I choose are largely self-driven, with input and guidance from my manager when I need it. I have lot of freedom to run with new ideas and try different types of content and marketing activities.

What’s it like getting to craft the branding and content for an IT software company?​

Comet Backup has a fun outer space theme, so there’s a lot of potential to be creative with the branding and have fun with the marketing.

I feel like I get to be really creative in my role. My manager supports me and helps coach me through areas I’m not as familiar with, and trusts me in areas that I have more experience in. We are always collaborating and learning from each other.

What was the inspiration behind the CometCon meme workshop you led?​

At CometCon, our internal conference, I gave a presentation on how we can make our content marketing strategy more entertaining and relatable. Our company culture is really friendly, helpful and fun – so I wanted our marketing and brand personality to reflect that.

Personally, I follow brands because they are either educational, inspiring, or entertaining. I wanted to introduce the ‘entertaining’ part to Comet’s marketing mix by incorporating memes and IT humor.

After the presentation, I ran a meme workshop. Everyone at the company contributed and had a lot of fun coming up with memes. It was really cool to see our GM and company owner get involved. They are really into Comet’s space brand and supportive of making our content fun and helpful.

Outside of CometCon, what other learning and development opportunities are there?​

We are encouraged to attend events and talks. Comet is part of a lot of tech organizations across New Zealand, including the Tech Marketers Group, Women in Tech, and Kiwi SaaS. I’ve also joined a few marketing community groups on Slack, including Generate (an APAC tech marketers group) and The Marketing Club AU/NZ.

I participated in a Women in Tech mentorship program, and a virtual tech marketing training cohort over 6 weeks. It’s been great to connect and network with other tech marketers and women in tech to share experiences and ideas.

How do you feel Comet’s work culture supports your lifestyle?​

We have hybrid working at Comet. If you're based in the head office in Christchurch, we have a few days in the office and a couple days working remotely. I love it, I think it’s a great balance of having collaborative face-to-face time, and then the option of working from home and not having to commute on those days.

The flexibility is great, people have varied start and finish times to work with their schedules. I’m more of a standard 8:30am to 5pm. I go to the gym in the morning and I finish at 5pm so I have enough time to bike home and get to rugby league training at 6pm. Some people start earlier and finish earlier, so they have the afternoon off. People with kids can do school drop off or pick up, and finish their hours later. There’s real work life balance.

What are your interest in hobbies outside of work?​

I really love the outdoors and being outside in nature, hiking, tramping, camping, surfing, and going on road trips in our van. I’m also a rugby union and rugby league fanatic, as a player and a fan. I like also barbecuing, cooking, trying new recipes, and catching up with friends.

Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist

World Password Day for IT Providers & MSPs​

World Password Day is another great opportunity for IT Providers and MSPs to educate clients and end users about the importance of good password and cybersecurity habits.

Weak passwords, like “Password1”, or your pet’s name, make it way too easy for cyber criminals to hack into your systems. Strong passwords and good cybersecurity hygiene can help protect end users’ work and business accounts, and these habits can also be applied to personal logins and devices to help everyone stay safe online.

As our digital world keeps evolving, we need to keep up with the latest cybersecurity best practices to keep ourselves and our end users safe. Below are some additional information and resources for World Password Day.

What is World Password Day?​

World Password Day is celebrated annually on the first Thursday of May to encourage people to use stronger passwords and secure their online accounts. Intel created World Password Day in 2013 to raise awareness about the role strong passwords play in securing our digital lives.

Strong passwords are important for protecting sensitive information and preventing unauthorized access. For another layer of protection you should also enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on accounts for increased security.

Strong passwords aren’t the only way to secure your data. It’s also important to back up your data and store a copy of it to a secure location as an additional layer of protection.

#WorldPasswordDay

Tips for Better Passwords & Security:​

• Use strong passwords – Passwords should be at least 16 characters in length, and a mix of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Unique passwords for each account – Don’t reuse the same passwords. If one account gets compromised, the same password can be used to access other accounts.
• Consider using passphrases – These are made up of four or more random words, typically longer than a traditional password.
• Use a password manager – These act as a secure, digital vault protected by a single, super strong master password. Password managers can generate strong & unique passwords for each account.
• Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) – Add an extra layer of security, such as getting a code via text message or email, entering a pin number, or biometrics such as face recognition or fingerprint scanning.

Bonus Tip​

Always back up your data – Regularly back up your critical data to a secure location, either locally or in the cloud. This ensures you have a copy available to restore in case of a security breach or data loss event.

Test drive Comet Backup with a 30-day FREE trial, or book a discovery call with our team to learn more about how Comet can help your business.

More 2025 IT Holidays + Free Marketing Resources​

Check out our blog post on 2025 IT Holidays for more cybersecurity awareness days, and download our free marketing resources to help educate your end users about how they can stay safe in our digital world.

Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist

We sat down for a chat with Josh Conant, one of our Software Developers, who has been with the company since July 2022. This piece has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Have you always worked in tech?​

In college, I majored in biomedical engineering, but I didn't graduate. Life got in the way. And I ended up taking a call center job working tech support for Microsoft. They used to have a free virus and malicious software hotline that you could call. It got to the point where I could just hear what the customer was clicking and I could tell if they clicked on the right thing or the wrong thing. It was very interesting. I got to learn all about viruses and backdoors and Windows. That’s how I started my career in tech.

Tell us more about your journey in tech and how you became a software developer.​

After my tech support role at Microsoft, I worked for a company called Computer Nerds, where I went to people's houses and helped them out with their computer. Then I worked as an IT admin for a golf course in Texas where I got my foot in the door for administration work. Then I went to Rackspace, a hosting company, for about six years. I went in as email admin, then became a Linux admin.

While I was a Linux admin, I really got into programming. I was making little PHP websites for support. I also got into Python, was promoted to Linux Engineer, and started teaching Python classes on the side. When I got really into coding, I switched over to software development, and I have been a software dev ever since.

How did starting in IT before becoming a dev shape your outlook?​

Starting in IT operations and then moving into software development gives you a really good perspective on using the software before moving over to making software.

It helps you understand how to make people’s lives easier and how your development choices are going to affect the people trying to run and maintain platforms for your software. This allows you to better architect your software to be more resilient and easier to troubleshoot.

In many ways, keeping operations happy is just as important as keeping the end-user happy, all of which leads to more adoption of your software.

What attracted you to work at Comet?​

I had done some previous work in the storage realm. The low level storage is always fascinating to me, because it's very complex and technical. It's a fascinating problem in an interesting space.

When I was reading about Comet, specifically about deduplication, local deduplication and compression, it sounded like they were going to be in the thick of it and working with the all the hard problems of optimizing for data backups.

I like problem-solving, and love having difficult problems and interesting puzzles to figure out. I love coding and I love coding problems. I love working to make people's lives easier. Helping people out always feels great.

What's your favorite thing about Comet?​

My favorite thing about Comet has to be the people, honestly, the crew is awesome. Josh, our General Manager, is such an approachable leader. He’s very honest and very open, and I really appreciate that. Our CTO, Mason, is just a treasure trove of technical information and expertise. Everyone is very nice and amiable. Everyone is always up for a chat.

Before coming to Comet, I was doing contracting work and was very transitory, working on temporary fixes or doing temporary jobs. I really wanted to get back to what I had loved about Rackspace’s company culture which put friends and family first, and the feeling of working with a good team. That's when I got the job at Comet. I've been grateful to Comet ever since because everyone here is so amazing to work with.

How would you describe the team culture at Comet?​

At Comet, from day one, it's felt like a family. Everyone's nice, everyone's open to feedback, and open to helping each other. The culture of openness applies to the whole company. While we have two dev teams, it’s not isolating or siloing. If I talk to anyone on the other dev team, I still have the same great experience, and I appreciate that.

What's the learning and development culture like at Comet?​

At Comet it’s great because if there's something you're interested in, and think it will help Comet, they will allow you to pursue it. If I need to take time to research what I'm working on, that's encouraged. I don't have to knock out a ticket as fast as possible. It’s not like at a big corporation.

If you're interested in any part of the code base, and you want to learn more about it, you just tell your Dev Team Lead and they will give you tickets on that area. There’s a tag on tickets called ‘First Projects’, specifically for new devs. If you want to try something new, they don't just throw you in cold turkey, instead they'll give you one of those easier ‘First Projects’ tickets. And whoever is the subject matter expert for a particular area of the code base is always willing to talk and they'll help you get started.

Are you the subject matter expert on specific realms?​

Yeah, a couple of them, including Microsoft 365. We've done a massive rewrite on that over the last year to improve the user experience. My expertise is mostly on the backend stuff, specifically Microsoft 365, email reports, and the internal event system. I enjoy working on the more technical stuff, such as our bloom filter, for example. I’m most adept at all the Go (programming language) we use, which is Comet’s foundation. I'm not a TypeScript or PHP expert, but I can do that in a pinch.

How do you find being part of the company when you're a remote team member?​

On Wednesdays, we have the ‘Comet Café’ which is a dedicated Slack channel where people can join a call and just talk about anything. We’re encouraged during that time to chat about things that are not work related, to get to know one another better, and just hang out, which is really nice. Or sometimes Josh, our GM, just randomly starts a Comet Café hangout outside of the regular scheduled time, he’s really good at that.

When I first started at Comet I remember Mike Hall, our Support Team Lead, stayed and chatted for quite a while. It is really good to just talk, and to have a casual meeting with your remote work mates with no expectation, because it allows you to bond with people with no pressure.

What advice you would give to an aspiring developer?​

My advice would be to just code, even if it's bad code. It's similar to writing, you need to actually do it and keep practicing to get better at it. Coding is the same.

If you’re starting a project, even if you unsure what you're doing, just get started – write some code to get some basic functionality working. Once you have that base, you can build on it. It's much easier to work on something that exists, than to try to figure everything out all at once.

I would also say don't worry about which language you pick when you’re starting out. Skills between languages are easily transferrable. Again, just getting practice writing code is the key.

What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of work?​

A lot of my time is spent on family. I have two kids, they’re both in college. And at home, I have my wife, Sheena, and my dog. Outside of work I try to spend as much time with them as possible.

Other than that, I'm still interested in biomedical engineering, which I studied in college. So I tend to read articles about that, specifically, neurological engineering. I’ve also thought about going back to school for electrical engineering. I would love to go back to college. Because even when I was working at Dell EMC, I was taking biology, biochemistry, and biology courses. I love learning, so I try to keep doing that.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – March 5, 2025 – Comet Backup is pleased to announce it has embarked on a benefit partnership with The ASCII Group for 2025. The ASCII Group is a membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers.

Comet Backup is an all-in-one backup platform built specifically for IT professionals. Designed with IT service providers considerations in mind, our centralized platform makes it easy to manage and protect client data with fast, secure, and versatile backup solutions. Comet Backup empowers MSPs and IT providers to deliver data protection for disaster recovery and business continuity.

By partnering with The ASCII Group, Comet Backup is enhancing its channel program and creating lasting relationships with IT service providers. As a channel-first company, Comet Backup is dedicated to developing backup software and innovative solutions that help MSPs safeguard their clients’ data with confidence.

“Comet Backup is excited to join The ASCII Group and be part of a community that shares our passion for supporting MSPs and the IT channel. At Comet Backup, we’re committed to helping MSPs succeed by developing reliable data protection and backup solutions that keep businesses safe,” shared Josh Flores, General Manager, Comet Backup. “Being part of The ASCII Group allows us to collaborate, share insights, and work together to strengthen MSPs’ ability to serve their communities. We look forward to contributing, learning, and supporting MSPs and IT providers as they navigate the evolving landscape of cybersecurity and data protection.”

“We are delighted to announce a partnership with Comet Backup. By providing an exclusive benefit to ASCII members, Comet Backup is demonstrating their strong commitment to the community,” said Jessie Devine, VP Channel Development, The ASCII Group. To learn more about this benefit and all the ways ASCII helps MSPs grow check out: www.ascii.com.

For more information about Comet Backup visit: www.cometbackup.com.

About Comet Backup

Comet provides fast, secure and versatile backup software for IT professionals and businesses worldwide, localizing to 15 languages. It enables organizations to secure their data, deliver business continuity and disaster preparedness. Trusted by customers across 120 countries, Comet has been recognized as a “Momentum Leader” by G2 and awarded “Best Customer Support” by Software Advice. Comet is a privately held company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. To learn more, visit www.cometbackup.com and follow Comet Backup on: LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | X

About The ASCII Group, Inc

Founded in 1984, The ASCII Group is the original IT community of the channel, uniting Managed Service Providers (MSPs) across North America. As a vendor-neutral organization, ASCII provides unbiased resources and a collaborative environment to support business growth. Members span the U.S. and Canada, ranging from SMB-focused MSPs to international solution providers. ASCII offers leveraged purchasing programs, education, marketing support, peer networking, and more, complemented by a vibrant ecosystem of technology vendors. Learn more at www.ascii.com.

Media Contacts

For Comet Backup:
PR Contact at Comet Backup
press@cometbackup.com

Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist

Introducing our favorite IT Holiday of the year, World Backup Day! Celebrated on March 31st, World Backup Day highlights the importance of backing up and protecting data.

World Backup Day was created in 2011 and started with a post on Reddit where a user wrote about losing their hard drive and wished someone had reminded them about how important it is to back up data.

This commemorative IT Holiday also happens to fall on the day before April Fool’s Day, so consider it an extra reminder to back up important data and devices to avoid becoming a fool to data loss.

World Backup Day for MSPs & IT Providers​

World Backup Day is a great reminder to review your backup strategies and to educate your end users and partners on the importance of data backup.

While World Backup Day is observed annually at the end of March, MSPs and IT providers play a critical role in protecting businesses and organisations every day of the year.

Why is Data Backup Important?​

In today’s digital age, data backup and data protection is critical for business continuity and risk mitigation to help organizations protect against:

• Data loss
• Human error
• Ransomware
• Cybersecurity attacks
• Hardware malfunction
• System failure
• Natural disasters

Having a robust backup solution and solid restore and recovery process will help safeguard against these threats and minimize downtime for your end users and clients.

Reminders for World Backup Day​

• Review your backup strategy and solutions for different data types, backup types, retention, storage solutions and destinations
• Regularly test your restore and recovery processes to make sure you are ready if an incident happens
• Verify backups and confirm they are running as intended
• Automate processes to save time, such as setting up email reports and job log alerts
• Make sure servers, emails and databases are backed up, not just endpoints

Comet Backup for MSPs, IT Providers & Businesses​

Having a secure and reliable backup platform as part of your tech stack is essential to MSPs & IT Providers’ backup and disaster recovery (BDR) strategy to maintain business continuity in the event of a security incident.

Here are some of the core features & benefits of Comet Backup:

• Easy to use: Comet Backup has an intuitive, easy-to-use web console where you can remotely manage and protect devices. Comet is fast and easy to set up – start running backups and restores in less than 15 minutes.

• Versatile storage options: Choose between integrated cloud storage or utilize your own storage, whether that’s an on-prem solution or a S3 compatible storage provider (including AWS, Azure, Wasabi, Backblaze B2 and more). You’re in control of where your data sits.

• Fast, efficient chunking technology: Advanced backup algorithm packages data into small blocks for faster uploads and downloads, saving valuable time.

• Reliable, Safe & Secure: Data is encrypted during backup, transit, and rest. Comet is also HIPPA and GDPR compliant.

• Client-side deduplication: Reduces redundant data, ensuring more efficient storage usage and therefore cost savings.

• Incremental forever without full re-uploads: After the initial backup, only changes are uploaded, conserving bandwidth, and accelerating the backup process.

• Compression and encryption: Client data is compact for storage efficiency and secured against breaches, ensuring peace of mind.

Protect your data this World Backup Day​

World Backup Day is a great time to educate and remind your end users and partners of the importance of data backup. Your goal as IT Providers and MSPs is to provide the best support and solutions to give your partners peace of mind and confidence that their businesses’ data is safe and protected.

Test drive Comet Backup with a 30-day FREE trial, or book a discovery call with our team to learn more about how Comet can help your business.

More 2025 IT Holidays + Free Marketing Resources​

Check out our blog post on 2025 IT Holidays for more cybersecurity awareness days, and download our free marketing resources to help educate your end users about how they can stay safe in our digital world.

Written by Callum Sinclair - Product Engineering Manager.

Comet 25.2.0 Rhea​

Comet 25.2.0 Rhea, our latest Quarterly release, brings 11 new features and 14 enhancements, including direct virtual machine restores into Hyper-V and VMware, User Grouping, Single device ownership of Storage Vaults and more.

The full set of changes can be found in the release notes.

Why Rhea?​

This Quarterly release is named after Saturn's moon Rhea. Fun fact: Rhea might have its own ring system, which would make it the only moon in our solar system to have rings.

Webinar announcement​

Join us for our Quarterly webinar on Tuesday 11 March (4pm EST / 1pm PST)! Comet's CTO, Mason will cover all the latest product updates, with a live question-and-answer session at the end.

New Feature: Direct VM Restores​

Your input is important to our decision making at Comet. Direct VM Restore was a highly upvoted request in our Feature Voting system, so we're excited to share this with the Comet community.

Direct VM Restores to Hyper-V​

You can now restore your Hyper-V and VMware Protected Items directly to a Hyper-V Server without any extra manual steps.

Direct restores into Hyper-V are available from the Comet Management Console and from the Comet Backup desktop app. The following screenshots are from the Comet Management Console.

Migrate VMware Guests to Hyper-V​

VMware (vSphere or vCenter) virtual machines can be migrated to Hyper-V using Comet. Simply back up VMware guests using Comet's VMware Protected Item type. Once the guests have been backed up, you will be able to restore the guests using our restore workflows. Comet will automatically convert the guest on the fly at restore time into a format Hyper-V can boot.

Direct VM Restores to VMware​

You can now restore your Hyper-V and VMware Protected Items directly to a VMware (vSphere or vCenter) without any manual steps necessary.

Direct restores into VMware (vSphere or vCenter) are available from the Comet Management Console and from the Comet Backup desktop app. The following screenshots are from the Comet Management Console.

Migrate Hyper-V Guests to VMware​

Similar to our VMware guest migration, you can migrate Hyper-V guests into VMware (vSphere or vCenter) using Comet. All that is required is a backup of the Hyper-V guests using Comet. Then you can use Comet's restore workflow to directly restore the guest into VMware. Comet will automatically convert the guest on the fly at restore time into a format VMware can boot.

New Feature: Disk Image Restores to Hyper-V and VMware​

Comet's Disk Image Protected Items can now be restored directly into a Hyper-V or VMware (vSphere or vCenter) Server. This removes any need for manual conversions of VMDK files when restoring a physical Disk Image Protected Item into a virtual environment.

Once a Disk Image Protected Item has been backed up using Comet, you will be able to choose if you'd like to restore the Disk Image directly into Hyper-V or VMware. This is a fantastic improvement for customers who need to restore a physical device as soon as possible while they wait for new physical devices or hardware to arrive.

Physical To Virtual Disk Image Migrations​

Disk Image Protected Items can also be migrated into a virtual (Hyper-V or VMware) environment permanently using Comet's new Disk Image restore functionality. This allows customers migrate phyiscal machines into a virtual environment, and continue to protect the machine with our Hyper-V or VMware Protected Item types.

New Feature: Comet Server Roles and Features Renamed​

Comet Server Roles were initially named and styled after Windows Server Roles. Customers who have managed or worked with the Windows Server Operating System to manage roles would have been more familiar with this naming style.

To improve the usability of Comet for new and existing partners, all Comet Server Roles have been renamed.

• Auth Role has been renamed to Management Console.
• Storage Role has been renamed to Storage Gateway.
• Constellation Role has been renamed to Cluster Manager.
• Software Build Role has been renamed to Backup Agent Downloads (and its settings have been relocated under Management Console).

These changes better reflect the capabilities of what each role does within Comet.

The Comet Management Console has also been updated to reflect these changes, grouping the related side menu pages and settings under each of the new names.

New Feature: User Grouping​

It is now possible to group users in the Comet Management Console. This will allow users belonging to a department, company, cost center, etc. to be grouped logically inside Comet. This makes it easier to find and manage customers belonging to the same group.

Once a user belongs to a group, admins will be able to assign policies to these users in bulk. This means admins will be able to roll out new policies and settings in one go, without having to remember what policy a user should have applied just based on the name of the user.

New Feature: Single Device Ownership Of Storage Vaults​

Single device ownership of Storage Vaults is a new user setting to determine whether devices that share the same user account login should back up Protected Items to a shared Storage Vault or isolated Storage Vaults. There are pros and cons of each option:

Pros of shared Storage Vaults: Data from multiple devices stored in a shared Storage Vault can take advantage of Comet's deduplication, reducing overall storage requirements.

Cons of shared Storage Vaults: Devices are able to see and restore all data from the other devices, and it is possible for backups to be delayed or missed on a device due to the Storage Vault being locked for retention jobs.

Pros of isolated Storage Vaults: Devices cannot see or restore data from other devices, and there is no risk of delayed or missed backup jobs due to the Storage Vault being locked.

Cons of isolated Storage Vaults: Backup data will not be deduplicated between devices, increasing overall storage requirements.

To configure isolated Storage Vaults, when configuring a new user account select the "Provision storage vaults automatically ..." option under Storage Vault Provisioning. For existing users, head to the users account page and set the "Automatically create Storage Vaults for newly registered devices" option to a Storage Template.

To configure shared Storage Vaults, when configuring a new user account select the "Provision storage vaults once ..." option under Storage Vault Provisioning. For existing users, head to the users account page and set the "Automatically create Storage Vaults for newly registered devices" option to (none).

This feature gives admins the flexibility to chose how the data for each device in a user is handled. Admins can now chose to prioritise data being deduplicated between devices, or prioritise data not being shared between devices to enforce strict data compliance requirements.

CHRISTCHURCH, NZ, Feb. 25, 2025 – Comet Backup, a leading data backup platform, today announced it has been named to G2’s 2025 Best Software Awards, placing in the Top 50 Best Australian & New Zealand Software Companies list.

As the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, G2 reaches 100 million buyers annually. Its annual Best Software Awards rank the world’s best software companies and products based on authentic, timely reviews from real users.

Receiving this Best Software Award recognition validates Comet Backup’s dedication to developing secure and versatile backup solutions for IT professionals and businesses.

Josh Flores, General Manager at Comet Backup, shared, "At Comet Backup, our community is at the heart of everything we do, and we couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our amazing partners and customers. This award means a lot to us because it reflects our commitment to building the best backup solutions for MSPs and IT providers—helping them protect their clients and businesses with confidence.”

Flores thanked Comet’s partners, saying, “We appreciate you sharing your feedback and helping us grow. Your needs and insights drive our innovation, and we are dedicated to continuously improving, evolving, and delivering backup solutions that make a difference for your teams.”

“The stakes for choosing the right business software are higher than ever,” said Godard Abel, co-founder & CEO at G2. “With over 180,000 software products and services listings and 2.8 million verified user reviews in the G2 marketplace, we’re proud to help companies navigate these critical choices with insights rooted in authentic customer feedback. The 2025 Best Software Award winners represent the very best in the industry, standing out for their exceptional performance and customer satisfaction. Congratulations to this year’s honorees!”

G2’s 2025 Best Software Awards feature dozens of lists, ranking software vendors and products using G2’s proprietary algorithm based on G2’s verified user reviews and publicly available market presence data. To be eligible for the Best Software Awards, a software company or product must have received at least one approved review during the 2024 calendar year and appear on a G2 Grid®. Scores reflect only data from reviews submitted during this evaluation period.

To learn more, view G2’s 2025 Best Software Awards and read more about G2’s methodology.

About Comet Backup
Comet provides fast, secure and versatile backup software for IT professionals and businesses worldwide, localizing to 15 languages. It enables organizations to secure their data, deliver business continuity and disaster preparedness. Trusted by customers across 120 countries, Comet has been recognized as a “Momentum Leader” by G2 and awarded “Best Customer Support” by Software Advice. Comet is a privately held company based in Christchurch, New Zealand. To learn more, visit www.cometbackup.com and follow Comet Backup on: LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | X

About G2
G2 is the world's largest and most trusted software marketplace. More than 100 million people annually — including employees at all Fortune 500 companies — use G2 to make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews. Thousands of software and services companies of all sizes partner with G2 to build their reputation and grow their business — including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, and Adobe. To learn more about where you go for software, visit www.g2.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts

For Comet Backup:
PR Contact at Comet Backup
press@cometbackup.com

For G2:
Jenny Gardynski at G2
jgardynski@g2.com or press@g2.com

Written by Michelle Wong - Marketing Specialist

We sat down for a chat with Alex Robinson from our Sales Team. Alex has been with the company since October 2023. This piece has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Where do you see Comet making a difference?​

The biggest difference that we're making for people is that we substantially streamline the data protection process for organizations, making it easier for people to set up and run backups.

A lot of people I talk to on calls say that their current backup systems have multiple disparate components or they are using several different backup systems to meet all their needs.

With Comet, you have a management console that has the flexibility to do whatever you want from within it. I’ve gotten feedback from people saying that with Comet they can consolidate all their backups into a single platform, and that it is simple to use.

What can an IT professional expect when they book a call with you?​

I walk prospective customers through a high level overview of the product. I like to focus on understanding their backup requirements and how Comet can meet those requirements. Then I go over how our pricing works.

Often people are coming from other vendors who have more complicated licensing models. I find people are frequently pleasantly surprised that a conversation about Comet’s pricing plans only takes five minutes.

What if they need help getting started?​

If they don’t have a free trial set up yet, I’ll help them get that going. Or if they’re ready to begin testing or deployment, I can book them in with our onboarding or technical team.

The goal is always for an MSP or an IT team to be up and running backups as quickly as possible to see how easy the product is to work with.

What do you enjoy about sales?​

Basically, I'm solving a problem for someone or meeting a need that someone has for their business. I really enjoy helping people work through that.

Because my background is in account management and customer success (I actually managed a camera store for many years), cultivating a long term relationship is very important to me. So that’s always how I approach talking to potential partners.

What happens if Comet Backup isn’t the right solution for the problem they’re trying to solve?​

I’m always up front and honest with customers and will tell them, “I don’t think Comet is the right fit for you.” I'm not trying to push people into buying something they don't need. I would rather they find the right solution for what they’re trying to achieve.

Why are you proud to represent Comet?​

I wanted to be sure I was working for a company that’s actually constantly improving the product for customers and innovating and truly adding value when we release updates to the software. Comet is actively building the product and pushing it forward, which is really important to me.

Do you have any top backup tips?​

#1 Run your backups regularly. And verify that your backups are configured correctly and are working as intended. Everyone talks about having backups, but the key is – are you checking the reporting around your backups on a regular basis? Have you configured the backup reports and are you actually following up on them?

#2 Are you doing test restores on things occasionally, and verifying the data is there? Don’t just set it and forget it. Set it and actively monitor your backups.

#3 Familiarize yourself with the recovery process. Because when you need to do a recovery, you almost always need to do it in a hurry. Make sure you know how to do it, how long it's going to take, and what's involved in the recovery process.

What's your favorite thing about working at Comet?​

I love that the Comet team actually listens to the feedback we get from customers and prospects. So many companies claim to do that, but in reality they don’t. Comet is very open to listening and then the dev team prioritizes improving that functionality and building new features people would like to see in the software.

I appreciate the open channels of communication throughout the company. There aren’t any layers of bureaucracy, so to speak. You can talk to anyone about anything. And they will really take that customer feedback to heart.

How would you describe the team culture at Comet?​

My favorite thing about working here is definitely how collaborative the team is, and that you can ask anyone for help. Especially when you're coming into a technical product like Comet, although I’ve previously worked in software and tech for a long time, there’s always a learning curve involved with learning about products in a new industry. So it’s been really helpful that everyone, including the dev teams and support team, are willing to help out with the technical learning curve.

Were there certain things that attracted you to work at Comet?​

I was actively looking for a role that wasn't a nine-to-five job, something with more flexibility. When I saw the hours were early, that had huge appeal. I like to start early and finish early so I can do school pickup and spend time with my family.

What are some of your other interests or hobbies outside of work?​

Most of my time is taken up with my family and kids, and the farm animals. I've got sheep, a miniature horse, ducks, chickens, turkeys, geese, and a dog. So that takes up most of my time outside of work.