SugarSync is a secure online syncing and backup service that launched recently. The synced files can be accessed from web, PC, Mac or a Smart phone. You can sync documents, photos or music and they are accessible everywhere whenever you need it. Although the service is not free, the money you spent on this is worth if you consider the benefits and features it offers. I am testing this service and i am really impressed with the rapid syncing of files between computers.
The best part is SugarSync works in the background so you can work on your PC while syncing files. Modified files are synced automatically so that you have current version of the file at all locations. The updates are really quick and it works as advertised. SugarSync also backs up the data you sync to your devices, this is quite useful incase you lose the data on your machine you always have a secure online backup. Your files are transferred via secure 128 bit encryption to keep your files secure.
Create an account with Sugarsync and then download the client software. While setting up it creates a Magic Briefcase folder in your My Documents whatever you put in here will get synced, you can also choose a folder of your choice.
If you sync photos to your sugarsync account it creates photo galleries automagically, you can even share these albums with others, if you prefer you can also make them public albums.
In your web space you will find a web archive folder, you can use this one to keep backup of files that you don’t want to sync to other computers or devices.
When you create an account you will get 10GB of disk space with a 45 days free trial. After 45 days you can upgrade your account, pricing starts from $25/year. For 10GB account you will pay $24.99/year, for 30GB you pay $49.99/year, go here for more pricing options.
Give Away
I have three 30GB accounts worth $49.99/year to give away readers of Technology Bites, courtesy of SugarSync. To win one of these accounts follow below mentioned procedure.
Update: The winner of this contest is “rjleaman”.
On the subject of file backup, sharing and storage …
Online backup is becoming common these days. It is estimated that 70-75% of all PC’s will be connected to online backup services with in the next decade.
Thousands of online backup companies exist, from one guy operating in his apartment to fortune 500 companies.
Choosing the best online backup company will be very confusing and difficult. One website I find very helpful in making a decision to pick an online backup company is:
http://www.BackupReview.info
This site lists more than 400 online backup companies in its directory and ranks the top 25 on a monthly basis.
I decided to try out SugarSync on the recommendation of a colleague, after spending a fair amount of time looking for an online backup service that would really work for me. There are certainly lots of choices, but relatively few offer real-time synchronization and even fewer seem to do it so quietly and unobtrusively in the background, while you work away at something else.
Why do I need it? Backup is essential for everyone, of course – but I think it’s even more vital for anyone who works primarily on a laptop. And if you’re juggling a large number of projects, each one of which has many small changes to be made in the run of a day, doing manual backups can take up more time than the actual working does!
Also, I’ve been working on a book for the past couple of years and it’s getting so very close to being finished, I’d be crushed if anything happened to it! So there are backup CDs and thumb drives all over the place, but again – work on the project for a half hour, and you’ve got to go through the hassle of manually copying files and keeping track of which is the latest version, etc – it’s too easy to get lazy about it. And you know that Murphy’s Law is bound to come in to play sooner or later… Oh, yes, I defnitely need that lovely fat 30GB SugarSync account you’re so kindly giving away! 🙂
@rjleaman
Your account will get activated in a day or two.
Ram, thanks so much!
@rjleaman
Your email is the one you used in earlier comment for sugarsync activation?
Oops, wrong address for that thank-you comment (sorry, I’m so much in the habit of using Gmail…) but yes, this email is the one I’m signed up with for SugarSync.