Home | Computer
Overview and History SpiderOak is a privately managed corporation that are based in Northbrook, Illinios and were formed in December 2007. The company provide an Online Backup, Online Synchronization and Online Sharing Service which gives 100Gb of online storage for $10 a month and allows upto 1.5Tb of storage in 100Gb chunks, each chunk be charged at an additional $10 per month. Security SpiderOak put security exceedingly seriously. Unconvinced with 256bit AES encryption on data while being transferred and on their servers; they additionally secure your data by utilizing 2048bit RSA password encryption. That's way more secure than you need to get for your piece of mind. SpiderOak also provide 'zero-knowledge' file encryption which means that at at every stage, there is absolutely no way that anybody - even SpiderOak employees - are able to see any of your information, not even the folder and file names. Physically, their data center - which is owned by them rather than renting server space - is curring edge with redundancy at all stages and multiple fast links to internet service providers. They also offer geographically redundant protection (where your data is stored in several data centers situated in different parts of the world at the same time) for an extra cost. Backup Features SpiderOak uses a storage redundancy system that means a single version of a unique file is held on their servers. If you have the same file in different folders, then they leave a marker in each folder but only store one original. This reduces the quantity of storage you require and lets SpiderOak to store unlimited file versions of any document but only stores and uploads the differences between the versions. This makes uploads much quicker and reduces the amount of storage space required. To give you even more control over file versions, there is an ability to purge historic versions as and when you wish to. SpiderOak archives desktops, laptops and servers running MAC, windows or Linux; As well as network drives and removable media all from a single account. Just choose a drive for archiving and SpiderOak will monitor the drive for alterations and new items and add them to your backup queue. Visit https://spideroak.com/videos/Backup_7x.mov for a short video about SpiderOak's backup features. Restore Features Because SpiderOak is a backup and synchronization service, you have instant online access to any version of any file you have ever archived. If the file you need to restore is a synced file, then it will also be on any other device that you have setup for synchronization. There is an option within the client program to retain a copy of all archived data blocks in a location you choose, this can be a local folder or an FTP or sFTP server. This gives quicker 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 installed client provides details of which files are currently being backed up, what activities are being carried out within your SpiderOak network, a log of all the past activity and statistics including the total 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 stated time as well as options to exclude specific files and folders. Scheduling can be configured for backup, sync 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 is instantly addedapended to the upload list. The SpiderOak client can be configured to use Proxy servers on the Network tab of the preferences screen. The amount of internet bandwidth that SpiderOak uses can be configured from the Network tab. Interface The SpiderOak interface is very comprehensive, there are the following tabs: Status - shows details of shares, syncs and backups from all of the machines registered under your account. As well as how much 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 archived files and folders for each of the machines in your SpiderOak network and lets you to download any file or folder as a compressed (zip) file. Sync - This tab lets you to create or manage synchronization jobs between computers in your SpiderOak network. Share - The final tab controls and displays the status of shares. The internet portal is a lot simpler: It displays a simple tree structure of files and folders organized under each machine that is a part of your SpiderOak network. Device Support SpiderOak currently supports computers using Linux, Windows or MAC. This includes server operating systems. File Sharing and Collaboration SpiderOak uses a facility 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 added to an RSS feed so users can be kept up-to-date with the latest changes. The files and folders in a ShareRoom can be from any PC in your SpiderOak account, not just files synced to the internet portal. When a ShareRoom is created it is assigned a unique URL which you can distribute to anyone you need to access the ShareRoom or you may ask 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 are allowed to have an unlimited amount of computers in one account and allow all of them to synchronize with a central repository. It is possible to setup separate sync jobs for your files and the whole system is enfolded in their impressive encryption blanket. Web 2.0 Integration None at this time. Customer Support There is no telephone or live chat, however, the email support is great as is the forum and blog. The list of non-interactive support options is fairly expansive: - Documentation - FAQs - Demos - Testimonials - Tutorials - Case Studies There is also a free version which offers 2Gb of storage. Ease of Use You can sign up, download the client software, and be protected by SpiderOak in under 5 minutes. The client is stylish, easy to use and provides lots of information without overwhelming you. Shares, synchronizations and backups are all easy to setup and monitor. Cost Initial setup - free Monthly Fee - $10 / mth / 100Gb Annual Cost - $100 / year / 100Gb Initial permitted 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 backup, synchronize and share your files from multiple machines via one account. The cost is good and since 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. Nevertheless, if you are using Windows, MAC or Linux PCs that need to share or sync files then SpiderOak is an excellent choice.
Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com
Need More Information? Visit the author's website for the best online backup solutions and online storage comparisons.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
