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Review of SpiderOak Online Backup and Sync Solution

Overview and History
SpiderOak is a privately managed corporation that are based in Northbrook, Illinios and were formed in December 2007. SpiderOak offer an Online Backup, Online Synchronization and Online Sharing Service which offers 100Gb of online storage for ten dollars a month and you can have upto 1.5Tb of storage in 100Gb chunks, each chunk be charged at an additional $10 a month.

Security
SpiderOak take security extremely seriously. Not satisfied with 256bit AES encryption on files during transfer and on their servers; they further guard your information by using 2048bit RSA password encryption. That's way more secure than you need to get for your piece of mind. SpiderOak also give 'zero-knowledge' data encryption which means that at every stage, there is undeniably no way that anyone - even SpiderOak employees - can view any of your data, not even the folder and file names.

Physically, their data center - which they own rather than outsourcing - uses the latest technology with redundancy at all stages and multiple high speed links to the internet. They also can provide geographically redundant protection (where your data is distributed in multiple data centers located in different parts of the world at the same time) for a premium price.

Backup Features
SpiderOak utilizes a storage redundancy methodology that means only one version of a unique file is stored on their servers. If you have the same file in multipl folders, then they leave a marker in each folder but only store one original. This reduces the volume of storage you need and lets SpiderOak to store unlimited file versions of any document but only stores and uploads the differences between files.

This makes uploads much quicker and reduces the volume of storage space needed. For even more control over file editions, there is the option to erase historic versions as and when you wish to. SpiderOak archives desktops, laptops and servers running MAC, windows or Linux; Not to mention network drives and removable media all from one account.

Just choose a drive for archiving and SpiderOak will monitor the drive for amendments and new items and include them to your backup queue.

Restore Features
Because SpiderOak is a backup and synchronization program, you have instant web access to any version of any file you have ever backed up. If the file you are trying to retrieve is a synced file, then it will already be on any other device that you have setup for synchronization.

There is an option within the client software to keep a copy of all archived data blocks in a location of your choosing, this can be a local folder or an FTP or sFTP server. This allows for much faster restores if bandwidth is limited or restricted. SpiderOak will always check this location for restore blocks before retrieving from the offsite storage.

Control and Analysis
The client software gives details of which files are currently being archived, what activities are being carried out within your SpiderOak network, a log of all the accumulated activity and statistics including the overall amount of storage being used within your SpiderOak network. As far as controls go, the installed software permits you to manage the maximum size of individual files that can be backed up and to not backup files older than a specified amount of time in addition to options to exclude specific files and folders.

Scheduling can be configured for archive, synchronization and sharing functions and can be configured to anything from automatic to once every 2 days. If set to automatic any alteration to files within the backup, sync or share sets will be instantly addedapended to the upload queue.

The SpiderOak client can use Proxy servers using the Network tab on the preferences screen. The amount of internet bandwidth that SpiderOak uses can be managed from the Network tab.

Interface
The desktop client interface is very all-inclusive, there are the following tabs: Status - shows details of shares, syncs and backups from all of the machines setup in your account. As well as the amount of your current storage allowance being used. Backup - this is where you pick which files to backup on the current PC.

View - This displays currently backed up files and folders for each of the computers in your SpiderOak network and lets you to download any file or folder as a compressed (zip) file. Sync - This tab permits you to create or manage synchronization jobs between machiens in your SpiderOak network. Share - The final tab controls and displays the status of shares.

The online portal is much more straightforward: It shows a simple tree structure of files and folders organized under each PC that is a part of your SpiderOak network.

Device Support
SpiderOak currently supports PCs using Linux, Windows or MAC. This includes server operating systems.

File Sharing and Collaboration
SpiderOak uses something called ShareRooms where you can share your data . Alterations to any files in ShareRooms are automatically available to all users of the ShareRoom and changes are appended to an newsfeed so users can be kept up-to-date with the latest changes.

The files and folders in a ShareRoom can be from any machine within the SpiderOak account, not just files synced to the internet site. When a ShareRoom is created it is assigned a unique web location which you can distribute to anyone you require to access the ShareRoom or you can request people to login to SpiderOak's website using the ShareRoom username and password created when the ShareRoom was setup.

Synchronization
SpiderOak has synchronization at its core: You may have an unlimited amount of PCs in a single account and allow all of them to synchronize with a central repository. It is possible to configure different sync jobs for your data and the whole procedure is wrapped in their impressive encryption blanket.

Customer Support
There is no telephone or live chat, however, the email support is Very Good as is the forum and blog. The list of non-interactive support options is reasonably expansive: - Documentation - FAQs - Demos - Testimonials - Tutorials - Case Studies There is also a free version which allows 2Gb of storage.

Ease of Use
You can sign up, download the SpiderOak software, and be protected by SpiderOak in Less Than 5 minutes. The client is chic, easy to use and offers a wealth of information without overwhelming you. Shares, syncs and backups are all easy to manage and monitor.

Cost

• Initial setup - free
• Monthly Fee - $10 / mth / 100Gb
• Annual Cost - $100 / year / 100Gb
• Initial allowed storage amount - 100Gb
• Cost of additional storage - $10 / 100Gb
• Cost of additional devices / PCs / users - unlimited
• Referral Program - Yes
• E-billing facility - Yes

Conclusion
SpiderOak offers a great way to archive, synchronize and share your files from multiple machines with a single account. The pricing is good and because exta storage is always available in tidy 100Gb chunks you never have to worry about running out of growing space.

Add to this the unlimited file versioning and simple restore options and SpiderOak is a real winner. The only downside is that portable devices such as iPhones and PDAs are not currently supported. Yet, if you have Windows, MAC or Linux machines that need to share or sync files then SpiderOak is an excellent choice.

About the Author

For great in-depth reviews and detailed Online Storage Comparisons as well as tons of information about online services visit Savvy Steve's website: http://www.savvyITsolutions.com

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