Review of LiveDrive Online Backup

company Details - Livedrive is funded by Andrew Michael. Andrew owned Fasthosts Internet Limited, The United Kingdom’s main and most successful Internet hosting company which was sold in 2006 for in excess of $120m. Andrew commented: "Online storage is the future. Lots of companies are trying to do it today but the products are crap and not a replacement for traditional storage methods. Livedrive has been over two years in the making and will be the standard by which all competing products are judged".

Livedrive has two editions: LiveDrive Backup and LiveDrive Briefcase (Pro). The basic edition offers backup of unlimited devices and an unlimited amount of information. The Briefcase or Pro edition includes all the functions of the Backup version however also allows sharing and synchronization of information from multiple online devices.

Security Options - LiveDrive provides 128bit SSL encrypted access to their web site along with password protection for your account. File transfer to and from the data centers is protected via 256bit AES encryption – the most secure protection we have discovered for data transfers. Once on their servers, your files are managed with 256 AES encryption (that's military grade) and private key encryption is also available.
Physically, your data is stored on state of the art servers in diverse data centers. These were originally only in the UK, however, since expanding their service to other global regions, they have also expended their grid of data centers which ensures your data’s protection.

Backup Abilities - A very impressive features of LiveDrive Backup is that it is genuinely unlimited. While using LiveDrive we have archived many terabytes of information. Putting files on the backup list is as straightforward as right-clicking the file or folder and selecting ‘add to backup’ via the LiveDrive submenu. When added to the archive schedule, files are checked for changes and scheduled for archiving as soon as they are changed. File versioning is automatically enabled on any files within the backup set and are permitted up to thirty versions of an individual file. Open files are also backed up regularly and because of the ‘block level incrementation’ technology just the amended parts of files are uploaded and these are then used to create a new version of the file. This precess enormously reduces the volume of information that needs to be sent over the internet.
Network drives and removable media such as pen drives or other USB drives can also be backed up. {There is a progress indicator|A progress indicator is included| as well as status messages so you know what is being backed up and what is still waiting to be transmitted.

Restore Abilities - You May restore up to 30 versions of any file you have archived by entering the web portal, selecting the file you wish to recover and selecting the edition of the file according to the timestamp. When selected simply decide where you want it restored to and the portal will start the download process. Simple. Easy. Painless.

Control and Analysis - There are separate upload and download bandwidth flow controls in the desktop client but no resource controls. Socks Proxy servers are supported which is useful when you are in a shared environment and must access the internet using a proxy server. You can also set priorities of types of files, for example, if you are gradually uploading your entire movie collection, you may want to set excel docs and other file types before music files so that your more vital information is archived faster.

Interface - LiveDrive merges extremely well with the desktop on PC and MAC. It gives a system tray icon to allow fast access to information and option screens. The web site is very easy to navigate and use.
There are several collaboration, file sharing and synchronization options added in the professional edition of LiveDrive called Briefcase. Devices do need the client software installed to run LiveDrive but this is a no hassle and straightforward process that takes a few minutes to download and setup.

Device Support - At the moment LiveDrive supports Microsoft Windows – XP and up; MAC OS 10.5+; iPhone OS 3.0+; Blackberry and any web-enabled product via the web site.

Limitations - None found so far.

Collaboration and Synchronization - If you buy the Pro or Briefcase version of LiveDrive then you gain access to a greate set of collaboration and synchronization tools added to your unlimited online backup solution. When you turn on the Briefcase option a logical drive is setup on every device enabling you to store all your shared files. At first the drive letter it L: but this can be changed using the client software. Any file that is put on this logical drive gets copied to the web site and to any other devices that have the briefcase feature activated and are setup for the same LiveDrive Account. File conflicts are configurable and can be set to carry out an automatic option of your choosing or to ask what to do with each issue.
There is also a beta option called ‘LAN synching’ which lets devices on the same network (for instance you may own a PC, notebook and PDA all using the same router) to syncronize information inside your network rather than sending all the changes to the internet and back. This is a really useful feature especially if you have a bunch of files that you have to initially update on one or several devices.
Another very useful ability of the Briefcase is the option to have a local version of all your data from the logical drive. Thus you have access to the logical drive even when you are offline. When you re-connect to the net, the changed files are updated on the web site and changes are pushed out to the other devices as and when they also come online.

File Sharing - File sharing is available in the web site as well as from the desktop software - if running the Briefcase edition. Merely pick the file or folder you want to share, use the share button and then choose to share privately or publically.
Public File Sharing lets everyone with the exact web address view the file. If you choose this option, you are given a unique website address for each file. This can then be published to anyone you like.
Private File Sharing means only friends you choose have access to the file. If this option is chosen then you will be asked to enter the email addresses for every friend you need to have access to the file. You can append a specific message to provide more information about the file you are allowing access to. The program then emails all of the email addresses previously listed showing general information, your private message and a unique web address for each file being shared.

Web 2.0 Integration - LiveDrive has a music and video player built into the web portal, as well as a useful slideshow ability. LiveDrive is also attached to many web programs including: Facebook, Flickr, SmugMug, Photo Flexer, Zoho, Spibd, PicNik and others. This means you can access and alter the majority of your files directly from the web site.

Customer Support - There is no phone or online chat support. Nevertheless, with the exception of wanting to make unusual requests we have never needed to talk directly to LiveDrive’s support.
There is an email form on the client software and on the web portal which they reply to very promptly in our experience. The Forum and Blog are great places to find information or get questions answered from both other users as well as from LiveDrive’s tech. support team. The FAQ and knowledgebase are good for standard questions as is the demo on the website and there are case studies available on their website. There is no free version yet a 14 day free trial is offered on both types of account.

Learning curve - LiveDrive is wonderfully simple to use. After subscribing, you can instantly download the software to your web enabled devices and either start backing up your information or – if you have bought the far more useful Briefcase option – start dumping files to the L: drive. Restores and file sharing are extremely simple to configure and integrating with web utilities to change data while on the move couldn’t be easier.

Cost
Initial setup: Free 14 day trial
Monthly plan costs: Basic - $6.95/mth; Pro - $16.95/mth
Yearly plan costs: Basic - $69.50 / yr; Pro - $169.50 / yr
Initial allowed storage amount: Unlimited
Cost of additional storage: No cost
Cost of additional devices / users: No cost
Referral Program: Yes
E-billing facility: Yes

Conclusion - LiveDrive is an excellent archiving program, it is tucked away cleverly and only shows itself when you need to be told something. If you opt for the Briefcase edition then the host of abilities you are getting more than rationalizes the extra cost. With the huge range of integration with online devices and online programs you have a complete online storage and workspace that automatically synchronizes with all your internet devices.
For small businesses this is a great way to link your users together and keep everything up-to-date. For individuals it is a brilliant approach to keep a secure centralized storage place for all your data. There are less expensive Online Storage and Online Backup solutions available; however, We there are no better ones. LiveDrive’s unique blend of easy interaction and great range of functionality make it a sure winner. And to make it even more appealing, if you choose the yearly plan, you will receive 2 months free and an extra 10% off FOR LIFE!

Article Source: http://casinoarticles.us

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