Backblaze

22/10/2026

July set a record for traffic on the Backblaze network. But the peak is only part of the story.

Our Q3 2026 Network Stats report looks at what happened around that peak: higher CDN traffic baselines, regional shifts, and renewed migration activity. This quarter’s report also adds quarter-over-quarter changes to regional heatmaps, making it easier to see the difference between a consistently busy connection and one that is growing quickly.

These are observations from Backblaze’s network. They may reflect broader trends, customer growth, changing workflows, or a mix of factors. We’ll keep tracking what persists.

Read the full report: https://hubs.ly/Q04C1ggw0

And join Brent Nowak and Stephanie Doyle on October 29 for a closer look at the data: https://hubs.ly/Q04C1fYq0

What would you like us to explore in a future report?

20/10/2026

Every drive model that hit zero or one failure this quarter was a Seagate.

Worth noting. Not worth over-reading. One quarter of clean numbers is a good quarter, not a verdict on a manufacturer — that's the same logic we'd apply if the roles were reversed. What it does tell you: at the population sizes we're running these models at, Seagate's current generation is holding up exactly the way you'd want a fleet workhorse to.

We'll be watching whether it repeats next quarter before we'd call it a pattern.

Read more here:

Explore Q2 2026 failure rates across 354,415 Backblaze drives, plus standout models and emerging CMR, SMR, and HAMR storage technologies.

16/10/2026

SF Tech Week.
TechCrunch Disrupt.
The Afterburn.
Backblaze + Flamethrower.
A match made in data-storage heaven. 🔥

Over the past two weeks, we brought founders, builders, investors, and partners together in San Francisco for two evenings of good food and better conversations. No panels. No presentations. No elevator pitches. Just people connecting.

That’s the spirit behind Flamethrower, Backblaze’s startup program for AI, media, and other data-heavy teams. Eligible startups can get storage credits, predictable pricing, and direct support from real people.

Thanks to everyone who joined us, and to James Leaverton for bringing it all together.

13/10/2026

22 failures. 965 drives. 9.33% AFR.

That's our 10TB Seagate this quarter — technically an outlier by our own threshold, and technically almost meaningless. At that population size, a single-digit swing in failure count moves the percentage by whole points. Thirteen years into publishing this data, it's still the most common misread: a scary-looking rate on a small population isn't the same signal as a scary-looking rate on a fleet of 40,000.

We publish raw counts next to every rate for exactly this reason. The percentage tells you the trend. The count tells you whether to believe it.

Read more:

Explore Q2 2026 failure rates across 354,415 Backblaze drives, plus standout models and emerging CMR, SMR, and HAMR storage technologies.

08/10/2026

Join Sr. Market Intelligence Manager, Stephanie Doyle, and Director, Product Marketing, David Johnson for a live discussion on our Q2 2026 Drive Stats deep dive. Going on now!

The latest Drive Stats report is here. Join Stephanie Doyle, Sr. Market Intelligence Manager and David Johnson, Director, Product Marketing, as they examine the findings from 354,415 hard drives operating in Backblaze data centers. Stephanie will review Q2 2026 annualized and lifetime failure rates....

08/10/2026

SF Tech Week is less about one event and more about a thousand conversations happening all over the city. We're hoping one of yours happens with us.

In San Francisco for Tech Week? Join Backblaze and Flamethrower tonight for The Afterburn: drinks, appetizers, and an evening with the founders, builders, investors, and partners shaping what's next.

No presentations. No sales pitches. Just good food, good drinks, and better company.

Thursday, October 8
6–8 p.m. Pacific

Event details and RSVP: https://hubs.ly/Q04zvfJG0

07/10/2026

In San Francisco for SF Tech Week? Join James Leaverton and the Backblaze team at Rocket Mixer's Coast-to-Coast Startup Lab Demo Day today. See what the teams built on their cross-country journey.

The teams bring their work to SF Tech Week. Our own James Leaverton and the Backblaze team will be there, and Backblaze is proud to be a Gold Partner of the event.

From building on the train to presenting in San Francisco. Today, the Coast-to-Coast Startup Lab teams hosted by Rocket Mixer® bring their work to Demo Day during TECH WEEK by a16z. Our own James Leaverton and the Backblaze team will be there, and Backblaze is proud to be a Gold Partner of the even...

07/10/2026

A cross-country train ride, five teams, and a product to build before the trip is over. 🚂

Rocket Mixer's Coast-to-Coast Startup Lab brought together 18 builders for the challenge. The latest episode looks at the final push toward a finished prototype, with Demo Day happening today in San Francisco during SF Tech Week.

Backblaze is a Gold Partner of Demo Day. Here's a look at the journey.

Eighteen builders. Five teams. A train ride from New York City to San Francisco, with a product to build along the way. That's the Rocket Mixer® Coast-to-Coast Startup Lab. Episode 6 brings the story to the final push to finish a prototype, ahead of today's Demo Day at TECH WEEK by a16z Backblaze i...

06/10/2026

The number that moved this quarter, and the number that didn't.

Quarterly AFR: 1.73%, up sharply from 1.24%. Lifetime AFR: 1.41%, up 0.02 points.

Same fleet, same quarter, two numbers telling almost opposite stories. That gap is the whole reason we report both. A single bad quarter can swing on a handful of old or small-population drives. Ten-plus years of drive-days can't swing on much of anything — which is exactly why it's the number worth trusting when you're planning storage at scale.

If you only read one number out of a reliability report, make it the lifetime one.
Full breakdown →

Explore Q2 2026 failure rates across 354,415 Backblaze drives, plus standout models and emerging CMR, SMR, and HAMR storage technologies.

02/10/2026

Interesting people, good conversation, and appetizers. A pretty solid way to spend a Tuesday night.

James Leaverton brought together startup founders and senior tech leaders for dinner, conversation, and a chance to get to know one another. The mix of people in the room made the evening, with different perspectives and new connections around the table.

Thanks to everyone who joined us and made it a good night. A few snapshots from the evening below.