Category: Cloud Storage Providers

Cloud Storage Providers – An Introduction

cloud storage providersOur lives are filled with inventions that quickly go from unfamiliar to indispensable, like personal computers, microwave ovens, cell phones, and digital video recorders. The influx of technology is just as true in our professional lives, and to that list, one can now add cloud storage providers.

Why Cloud Storage Providers ?

Cloud storage can seamlessly solve business problems that previously necessitated navigating an array of cumbersome hoops to accomplish the same task.

Yes, you can back up critical files by sending yourself a copy through email, but email is not designed as a file-management application, and if one ever needs to recover more than a couple of small files, then that will become painfully apparent.
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Jungle Disk Review


The Jungle Disk Drive is one of the few backup services today that provide intermediary software which makes it easy, safe and convenient for users to back up their data. Users get to sign up for an account using the program interface but the data is not stored on the local machine, it is stored online at a remote server.

Data backed up is stored in a reliable and trusted storage provided by Rackspace and Amazon S3. With this backup solution, users will have to pay Jungle Disk for the service fee according the plan they choose as well as pay S3 or Rackspace for storage space where the data is stored.

Jungle Drive is one of the most dominant, reliable and easy to use backup services available today. It has tons of features including sharing, syncing, automatic backup, web or mobile access and archiving. Since the program is installed on the local computer, backing up data is as easy as dragging and dropping files between drives. There are versions for Linux, Mac and Windows but it can sync across multiple platforms.

Features of Jungle Drive

  •  Jungle Disk Desktop Edition comes with a 30 day free trial. The desktop edition costs $20.
  •  Works like a network drive, backing up data is as easy as dragging and dropping files to a ‘virtual’ drive on the application window.
  •  No commitments or monthly subscription fees are required.
  • Data is automatically compressed then encrypted. These are then backed up in multiple Amazon data centers to reduce redundancy.
  •  Applications available for Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. Data can be synced across all the three platforms.
  •  Easy sharing of files across different platforms for users with access.
  • Archiving of backed up data that may not be in use. Archived data can be deleted from the local drive.

Jungle Drive Review – Good and Bad

Jungle Drive is a modern-day backup solution that allows single users and businesses or companies to store their important data remotely and safely away.  However, users who have used Jungle Drive have had some negative points about the product:

  • The maze of billing with Jungle Drive, S3 and Rackspace can be very confusing for most users.
  •  There is no unlimited data backup plan. This means that the more you back up the more you pay.
  •  There is no way to access files via a web interface. Backup files can only be accessed via the program installed on the machine.

Here are some of the most dominant pros of the Jungle Drive as pointed out by users:

  • Data is stored on Amazon S3 or Rackspace meaning that it is possible to access the data using a different application.
  • Simple configuration of the program, easy to use with drag and drop features to back up data.
  • Four different versions to choose from: Workgroup and server editions for business users and simply and Desktop versions for individual users.
  • Jungle Drive implements the industry-standard AES-256 encryption with the option to encrypt file names.

Jungle Disk Drive has many good points…but other cloud-based backup solutions are better, in my opinion:

>>SugarSync review

>>Backblaze review

>>Dropbox review

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Egnyte Review

Where other products are focused on solving a specific business problem, the Egnyte Cloud File Server looks to satisfy many needs at once. Egnyte provides online storage, file sharing, a file server, FTP access, local access, mobile access, and computer backup for small companies or departments up to large corporations and their customers.

Egnyte, a Mountain View, CA company, was founded in 2006. The Cloud File Server product was first introduced in 2008 as a means to outsource infrastructure, and lists an impressive array of clients from a variety of sectors, including heavy hitters in technology like Intel and Cisco. The company now has data installations on both the East and West Coast of the United States and in Western European.

The plans provide for a given number of “power users”, each able to administer two computers and the associated files, and a much larger set of “standard users”. Standard users are essentially end users, able to share those administered files.

Read the rest of the EGNYTE Review:

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Livedrive Review

Livedrive has two separate modes. In Backup mode, all selected folders are backed up to the cloud as they are changed. With Briefcase mode, identified files are maintained on a local drive and are also synchronized to the cloud for sharing and access from mobile devices. A Pro Suite account includes both modes of operation.

Livedrive is a London-based company founded by CEO Andrew Michael in 2006. Michael had previously founded and later sold Fasthosts, the UK’s largest web host. The Livedrive cloud storage service was introduced in December of 2008. The company claims to be the top cloud provider in both Europe and the United States in terms of growth and ratings.

Read the rest of the Livedrive Review:

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Sugarsync Review

A user selects local folders to be written to the cloud by SugarSync. These folders are then tracked and captured by a background process, are available via mobile devices and the web, and are shareable with others.

SugarSync is a product introduced in March of 2008 by Sharpcast, a California-based company founded in 2004. Customers can easily try the service, as the first five gigabytes of cloud storage are free, and all service plans come with a free 30-day trial.

Read the rest of the Sugarsync Review:

Table of Contents (click ahead!)
Pricing| Supported Devices|Security| User Comments|Pros and Cons| Conclusions

Pricing: 30-day free trial for all plans

– Cloud Storage Quantity = Cost
– 5 GB = Free
– 30 GB = $4.99/month or $49.99/year
– 60 GB = $9.99/month or $99.99/year
– 100 GB = $14.99/month or $149.99/year
– 250 GB = $24.99/month or $249.99/year
– 500 GB = $39.99/month or $399.99/year
– Above are single-user prices. Team prices start at $299/year for 3 users/100 GB.

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Supported Devices

– MS Windows: Windows XP; Vista; Windows 7
– Mac (Intel only): Mac OS X 10.5 and later
– Linux: No
– iPad: Yes
– iPhone: Yes
– Android: Yes
– Blackberry: Blackberry firmware version 5.0 and later
– Other: Windows Mobile 5 and 6; Symbian 3rd and 5th Edition; Sybian^3
– Plus other mobile devices capable of running a browser

Version rollback: Previous five versions retained; only newest counts toward capacity

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                  >>Click Here For a Free Trial of Sugarsync<<

Security

– Encryption: 128-bit AES
– Transfers: TSL encryption, SSL 3.3

Data Storage: Redundant storage in data centers

Proxy Access: Yes

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User Comments

Based on user reviews, SugarSync tends to be a polarizing application with customers tending to love or hate this service. For many, it has provided exactly what they were seeking, thanks to its features and ability to work in the background. The pricing is very attractive compared to competitors. Most complaints regard how problems were handled when they surfaced, or the lack of any support response at all.

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Pros & Cons

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Sugarsync Review

Pros:

– Free for up to five gigabytes of space and for the first 30 days.
– Able to manage multiple folders.
– Can backup more than one computer.

Sugarsync ReviewCons:

– Lacks a Linux client.
– Customer support deficiencies.

Conclusions

SugarSync is definitely worth a look because of its low cost, including the free storage up to five gigabytes and month-long free trial period. In keeping with a buyer-beware strategy, it behooves customers to at least be cognizant of the reliability and customer support shortcomings flagged by others to avoid being blindsided by them.

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Try SugarSync Free!

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Dropbox and Dropbox Alternatives

dropbox review
dropbox review

Dropbox allows a user to access files – documents, photos, videos, etc. – from the office or on the go.

A user selects files to be controlled by Dropbox by placing them in a designated folder on a local drive.

Changes made in this folder are replicated to the cloud storage, making the latest versions available to mobile devices or for restoration.

(We use dropbox on a daily basis for sharing client files with large numbers of photographs, and also large documents. Because we often exchange mutiple types of files, it is a simple solution for our team…and WAY better than emailing tons of attachments back and forth)

>>Try Dropbox – Free 2 GB Account!!

Dropbox Review

 

Table of Contents (click ahead!)
Pricing| Supported Devices|Security| User Comments|Pros and Cons| Dropbox Alternatives

Dropbox Pricing

– Cloud Storage Quantity = Cost
– 2 GB = Free
– 50 GB = $9.99/month
– 100 GB = $19.99/month
– Above prices are for a single user. Team pricing is available starting at $795/year.

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Supported Devices

– MS Windows: Windows 2003; XP; Vista; Windows 7
– Mac: Mac OS X 10.4 and later
– Linux: Ubuntu 7.10 and later; Fedora Core 9 and later
– iPad: Yes
– iPhone: iOS 3.1 and later
– Android: Android OS 1.5 and later
– Blackberry: Blackberry OS 4.5 and later
– Plus other mobile devices capable of running a browser

Version rollback: “Yes” for teams

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Security

– Encryption: AES-256 standard
– User encryption allowed: Yes
– Network security employed: DDoS attacks; MITM attacks; packet sniffing
– Transfers: 256-bit SSL (where supported)

Data Storage: Outsourced to Amazon S3

Cloud backup: Multiple-location, redundant backups

Data privacy: Yes

Third-party Application Access: Yes, but security is not guaranteed

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What Users Say About Dropbox

Checking the Dropbox user forum, the users’ primary concern tends to be file deletions mysteriously occurring in the Dropbox folder. These may be due to user errors or configuration issues.  There is also a consensus that read-only sharing would be a beneficial addition.

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Pros & Cons

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Dropbox Review

Pros:

– No cost if less than two gigabytes of data requires cloud storage.
– Files exist both locally and on the cloud, so they can always be accessed.
– Active and knowledgeable user forum.


Dropbox ReviewCons:

– Maximum of 100 gigabytes for a single user will be too limiting for some.
– Design requires using cloud in addition to local drives, not as a replacement.

Dropbox is a good option for those making a cloud storage debut or owning a small amount of data requiring backup. It may also be the best fit for customers slightly off of the beaten path, such as Linux shops. For larger installations,  you may wish to look at dropbox alternatives, due to cost.

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Dropbox Alternatives

It’s become a popular file sharing and cloud storage service…but it does not have enough features or flexibility for some tastes.

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Blackblaze Review

Backblaze is backup software that strives to be easy to install and use.  If you have heard of the widely publicized Carbonite software, this is really similar. But it’s also less expensive — and in our opinion, it’s easier to understand.

Backblazewas announced in June of 2008, so it now has a track record of 3 years in business, as of this posting.

Rather than have the user make decisions regarding which folders to back up, Backblaze will by default back up everything except system and application software files and files greater than nine gigabytes in size.

Backblaze fills a niche in that anyone, even those who are not computer savvy, will be able to back up all of their data and know exactly what it will cost from the start.

It also backs up external drives. Customers can access their backups over the Internet, restore PC files to a Mac, Mac files to a PC, or even have their files sent to them on a DVD or USB drive for a cost.

Our BLACKBLAZE REVIEW

 

Table of Contents (click ahead!)
Pricing| Supported Devices|Security| User Comments|Pros and Cons| Conclusions

Pricing

– Unlimited backup for $5/month or $50/year for each computer
– Free 15-day trial

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Supported Devices

– MS Windows: XP 32-bit; Vista 32-bit and 64-bit; Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit
– Mac (Intel only): Mac OS X 10.4 and later
– Linux: No

Version rollback: Up to four weeks of file versions are retained

User-initiated backups available: Yes

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Security

– Encryption: 128-bit AES encryption
– User encryption allowed: Yes, user can supply encryption key
– Transfers: SSL

Data Storage: Shared data center with Sun, Esurance, and Cnet

Data privacy: Yes

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User Comments

The top user concern seems to be backups that mysteriously stop occurring for a paid customer. When this happens, customer support is reportedly inadequate.

Media reviews tend to laud it for being the easiest backup to use, while noting its limitations.

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Pros & Cons

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Blackblaze Review

Pros:

– Fixed cost for unlimited cloud backup space.
– Designed to be very simple to use.

Blackblaze ReviewCons:

 – Not designed as a file-sharing vehicle for mobile devices.
– No Linux client.
– Support available only through email and problem reports.

Conclusions

For customers interested in only backup capabilities, Backblaze is likely the way to go. This is particularly true if the client wants to be able to turn on backup, get it operational, and not spend a lot of time figuring out what to include or exclude to save a few dollars.

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