SugarSync saves the day again (file sync and backup)

SugarSync saved me again today. I thought I had some files on my school computer, but it turns out I didn't. I went to my SugarSync account and there they were, automatically uploaded from my home computer. It also saved my wife a few years ago when her hard drive failed. No worries because all her files were backed up.

SugarSync is one of many cloud file sync, backup, and sharing services that are out there. They offer free accounts (5GB) and you can always upgrade if you need more storage space.

One of the features that I love about SugarSync is "edit with WebSync." If you have a file on SugarSync that you need to edit, but you don't want to download it on the computer you are using, just to have to re-upload it, you can use WebSync. It creates a temp copy of the file on the computer for you to work with and edit, then automatically syncs it to SugarSync and then erases the temp copy on the computer. It's a great feature.

You can also backup any folder on your computer as well as using the "Magic Briefcase." Any file in the Magic Briefcase is automatically synced across all of your devices. You can even upload files via email.

I even have SugarSync on my Android smartphone and I have it automatically back up all of the photos I take on my phone so I don't have to worry about losing them and can easily view them on my other devices. You can even sync folders to your Android phone or iPhone/iPad.

SugarSync is very powerful and if you don't have your files backed up yet, you need to get going!

SpiderOak - free online file storage and sync

SpiderOak is another free backup, sync, sharing and storage system. It works on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

There is a free 2GB account and you can earn up to 50GB of free storage by referring friends.

It's another great way to make sure that your files are backed up and available to you any where.



Related:

Cloud File Storage, Sync, Backup

Ubuntu One available for Windows - offers 5GB of free cloud storage

AVG launches file sync, backup, and share system called LiveKive

World Backup Day - backup your files! Here are some tips and free resources

Box.net offering 50GB free storage for iOS users (and here are some other options)

Box.net, an online data storage service, is offering 50GB of free online storage for iOS users in an effort to compete against iCloud. If you sign up using your iOS device before December 2nd, you'll get the 50GB account for free.

Box also gave out free 50GB accounts to all owners of HP TouchPad webOS tablets. I found it to be a bit cumbersome to use. It doesn't sync files like Dropbox or Sugarsync and it is a pain to upload files. However, 50GB of free online storage is pretty cool.

My favorite backup and sync services are:

Dropbox is a service that allows you to sync your files on your computer with their system as a backup. This also allows you to access the files anywhere. You can also sync the files across multiple computers. This means that you have automatic backup of your files and 24/7 access to your files. There are apps for iOS, Android, webOS and Blackberry. You can even share files and folders with others. 

SugarSync - Sugarsync is another powerful sync and backup service. You can have it back up your files on their server, and sync the files among multiple computers. You get 5GB for free and there are fee based plans with more storage. You can access your files through any web browser and there are mobile apps and a mobile site. 

The Websync feature is also nice. If you are accessing your files through the website, you can select "Edit with websync" and a Java program will download a temp copy of your file, allow you to edit and save it and then upload the new version. You can also share files with others through email or the web.

Zumo Drive - is another sync and sharing service with similar features to Sugarsync and Dropbox. I use this also. A great feature is being able to stream music from Zumo Drive to your mobile device. There is a free 2GB version. Zumo Drive actually works and looks like another drive on your computer. 

Google Docs - you can upload any type of file (up to 250MB each) and you get 1GB of storage free. You can purchase additional storage at $0.25/GB/year, which is a good deal. There is no automatic sync built in. There are some 3rd party applications that you can use (like GDocBackup, which I use.) It doesn't sync to your desktop or backup automatically, but it is still very useful. 

Amazon has officially announced their Cloud Drive this week. Amazon Cloud Drive is Amazon's version of online file storage. It comes with 5GB of free storage and you can upgrade to 20GB of storage by purchasing an Amazon MP3 album. There are also other levels of storage that you can pay for (up to 1000GB for $1000/yr).

The service does not mention anything about file syncing, just that you upload your files to their servers and then you can access the files from any computer. You can upload documents, musics, photos and video and download and preview them from any computer.

You can stream your music files from the service and any music you purchase from Amazon are stored on the Cloud Drive for free and don't affect your storage capacity.



How do you backup, sync, and store your data?

Ubuntu One available for Windows - offers 5GB of free cloud storage

Cloud Storage and Syncing of files is one of the tools I can't live without. I use a variety of services and now there is another one available. Ubuntu One, a service that was for the Ubuntu Linux OS, is now available for Windows. It offers 5GB of free storage and can sync your files across multiple machines and there are Android and iOS apps available.  You can also purchase more storage.

With everything being on our computers, it is essential that we have backups of our data, and it's very helpful to be able to access that data anywhere.

Via Engadget - http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/humanity-toward-others-extended-to-windows-with-ubuntu-one-clo/

AVG launches file sync, backup, and share system called LiveKive

AVG, the company that brings us free Antivirus software, has just announced the release of their own file sync, backup, and sharing service called LiveKive.

LiveKive is similar to other services like Dropbox, Sugarsync, and Zumodrive. It allows you to store, sync, and share files through their cloud service and is accessible from Windows, Mac, and mobile browsers. Automatic file sync is available for Windows and Mac platforms.

The free account gives you 5GB of storage and you can upgrade to 25GB for $49.99 per year or unlimited storage (with some restrictions) for $79.99 per year.

Like the Dropbox, Sugarsync, and Zumodrive, LiveKive is another great resource for teachers and students, providing file backup, syncing across multiple computers, and the ability to share files with others.


Related Articles:

Cloud file storage, sync, and backup 

World Backup Day - back up your files with these tips and resources

Living in the Cloud

Joukuu - manage your cloud based files

Joukuu is a free download for Windows that allows you to manage your cloud based files in one file manager. It will manage Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box.net files all in one window on your desktop.

It syncs Google Docs and Box.net files to your desktop and allows you to even edit them using Office or OpenOffice. It gives you a nicer interface for managing your Dropbox files.

You can even manage folders for each account through the desktop interface.

It is currently in Beta, but appears pretty solid so far. If you use those services and Windows, this is a nice app to use. The site mentions that Sugarsync is coming, so maybe we'll see even more services supported. That would be nice, to be able to manage all the different cloud services from one app.

Cloud File Storage, Sync, Backup

With the recent announcement by Google that users will soon be able to upload any type of file to Google Docs (up to 250MB each, with 1GB of free storage, additional storage for a fee), I figured I would revisit the topic of cloud file storage. There are a variety of services out there, all with different options and features.

Google Docs - you can upload any type of file (up to 250MB each) and you get 1GB of storage free. You can purchase additional storage at $0.25/GB/year, which is a good deal. There is no automatic sync built in. Google Gears can currently sync your Google Docs so we'll have to see what will happen with the new file types. There are also some 3rd party applications that you can use (like GDocBackup, which I use.)

Dropbox is a service that allows you to sync your files on your computer with their system as a backup. This also allows you to access the files anywhere. You can also sync the files across multiple computers. This means that you have automatic backup of your files and 24/7 access to your files. I have it set up to sync a folder on my home computer and school computer so I don't have to worry about having multiple versions or forgetting a flash drive.

There are also Dropbox apps for iPhone, Android, iPad and there is one coming for Blackberry. There is an independent app for Palm webOS, but you can also access the mobile site from any web-enabled phone. Imagine being able to access all of your files on your smartphone!

One feature that is very nice is the fact that it works with network drives like we use in my district. Some of the other cloud file storage and sync systems can't work with network drives. I was very happy to see this was able to be done with Dropbox.

UPDATED 11-10-2010!

SugarSync - This is my main service. What's great about Sugarsync is that you can have it back up your files on their server, and sync the files among multiple computers. So, my files on my home computer are synced to my laptop and my school computer. You can also access these files through any web browser, and there are apps for smart phones. You can even access them with a mobile web browser if you don't have an app. You get 2GB (UPDATED 5GB free as of 11/10/10) for free and there are fee based plans with more storage (next level is $4.99/month for 30GB). I can access my files anywhere, on any device, which makes it very convenient. You select the directories that you want to be backed up. The "Magic Briefcase" is the directory or folder you pick to be automatically backed up and synced. As soon as I save a file to that directory, it is uploaded to their servers.

The Websync feature is also nice. If you are accessing your files through the website, you can select "Edit with websync" and a Java program will download a temp copy of your file, allow you to edit and save it and then upload the new version. You can also share files with others through email or the web.

Sugarsync came in very handy for my wife. 1 week after setting it up on her computer, her hard drive died. Completely dead and no data was recoverable. If it wasn't for Sugarsync, she would have lost over 2 weeks of work (since her last backup). The automatic sync and backup is wonderful.

Zumo Drive - is another sync and sharing service with similar features to Sugarsync and Dropbox. I use this also. A great feature is being able to stream music from Zumo Drive to your mobile device. There is a free 2GB version. Zumo Drive actually works and looks like another drive on your computer. 25 GB is $6.99 / month.

Box - is similar to the others. The free version only has 1GB of storage, but you can purchase more storage ($5.99 per month for 5GB - not great!)

What do you think about these?

What do you think about cloud storage?

Are there other services that you would recommend?

Related Posts:

SugarSync Review

Cloud Computing

Dropbox - file sync, backup, and sharing

Dropbox is a service that allows you to sync your files on your computer with their system as a backup. This also allows you to access the files anywhere. You can also sync the files across multiple computers. This means that you have automatic backup of your files and 24/7 access to your files. I have it set up to sync a folder on my home computer and school computer so I don't have to worry about having multiple versions or forgetting a flash drive.

There are also Dropbox apps for iPhone, Android, iPad and there is one coming for Blackberry. There is an independent app for Palm webOS, but you can also access the mobile site from any web-enabled phone. Imagine being able to access all of your files on your smartphone!

You can also share files with others. I teach EMS classes (EMT and Paramedic) and the course coordinator shares files on it with instructors through one folder and students in another folder. It makes things very easy for all of us.

Plans are as follows:

Basic - 2GB - Free

Pro50 - 50GB - $9.99 / month or $99 per year

Pro100 - 100GB - $19.99 / month or $199 per year

Dropbox is a great service for teachers and students. Access to all of your files anywhere, backup of your files, and the ability to share files.

UPDATE: One feature that is very nice is the fact that it works with network drives like we use in my district. Some of the other cloud file storage and sync systems can't work with network drives. I was very happy to see this was able to be done with Dropbox.

Related article:

"Cloud File Storage, Sync, Backup" (features similar services to Dropbox)

UPDATE: Mozy.com is another online file storage, sync, and backup service that I just learned about an it also offers a 2GB free account. I haven't used it, but it seems to work the same as the others.

SugarSync Update

I've been using SugarSync for a few months now and love it. I have a computer at home that I do a lot of work on, the Acer netbook for teaching EMS classes at different locations and doing work on the fly, and my computer at school. It was always a pain to keep these computers and the files in sync, but SugarSync has fixed that problem.

I have the "Magic Folder" on each computer and SugarSync automatically keeps them all in sync. That means that I can work on the files on my home computer and it will automatically upload the new or modified file to SugarSync's servers and then when I turn on one of the other computers, SugarSync will automatically download and sync the new or modified file onto that computer. I can also access, edit, and save any file through the SugarSync web site on any computer.

I have yet to need to use more than the 2GB free account, but I'm thinking of upgrading to the 30GB account ($49.99 for the year, or $4.99 per month) and keeping more files accessible.

Try it out. I found it to be easy to use and a great resource. I will be sharing it with my students also, so that they can access their files at school so that they don't have to keep bringing in flash drives.

Sugarsync - Sync your files

Sugarsync is an online file synchronization and backup service. The service is fee based, but they do have a FREE account option with up to 2GB of storage available. If you need more storage space, you can add more memory at very reasonable rates. Reviews in multiple tech magazines always give Sugarsync high ratings and it's fees are some of the lowest in the industry.

Sugarsync allows you to store files online and even keep the online files sync'd with the files on your computer. I love it because it allows me to have access to my files from any web-enabled computer. You can even access your files from a web-enabled cell phone or smart phone. I no longer have to have a flash drive with me to bring files home to work on.

You can even share file access with other people if needed.

Sugarsync is easy to sign up for and very easy to use. You can simply upload files to your Sugarsync account and access them from the web. I recommend installing the file manager on your main computer and then selecting the files that you want to be sync'd to Sugarsync's system. You will be able to access all of those files from any other web-enabled device. The service has built in security and has it's own backup system for your data.

The web access looks just like a typical file explorer on a computer, but it is all web based. You can download files, move them to other directories, send them to people, or even edit them using their WebSync technology. WebSync allows you to edit your files from any internet connected computer and have the changes automatically backed up to the SugarSync servers. This means that you do not to manually download the file, edit it locally, and then re-upload it to the server.

Backup copies of your files and access to them anywhere - for free. You can't beat that.