Lenovo Group Ltd has started pre-loading some small-business laptop computers with software to access free trials for online data backup services from EMC Corp.
The software, which will be loaded onto new Lenovo ThinkPad SL notebooks, uses the Internet to automatically back up data on a computer's hard drive to a remote data centre. The data can be retrieved over the Web if it is lost on the computer.
EMC entered the fledgling market for online data backup services with its October 2007 purchase of Mozy.
The companies, which hope customers keep using the service after the free trial expires, did not disclose financial terms of the partnership. Vance Checketts, chief operating officer of EMC's Mozy business unit, said the deal was similar to ones that computer makers sign with providers of anti-virus software.
The terms in such deals generally call for the anti-virus software providers to either make up-front payments to the PC makers, or to share revenue when customers buy the service after the free trial expires.
The deal with the Lenovo is the first that EMC's Mozy unit has signed with a PC maker. Checketts said that it is not an exclusive deal, adding that he hopes to sign up other manufacturers.
Mozy, which has about 850,000 users, competes with Dell Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co and Symantec Corp as well as privately held Carbonite, SOS Online Backup and Webroot.
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