Data Protection - A Review of SpiderOak Online Backup and Sync
Overview and History SpiderOak is a privately managed business who are based in Northbrook, Illinois and were formed in December 2007.
They run an Online Backup, Online Synchronization and Online Sharing Service which gives 100Gb of web storage for $10 per month and you can have up to 1.
5Tb of storage in 100Gb chunks, each chunk costing an additional $10 a month.
Security SpiderOak take security extremely seriously.
Unconvinced with 256bit AES encryption on files 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.
They additionally give 'zero-knowledge' data encryption which means that at every stage, there is absolutely no way that anybody - even SpiderOak employees - are able to view any of your files, 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 several high speed connections to the internet.
They also will provide geographically redundant protection (where your information is stored in several data centers located in different parts of the world at the same time) for a premium price.
Backup Features SpiderOak uses a storage redundancy process that means only one copy of a unique file is kept 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 amount of storage you need and allows SpiderOak to hold unlimited file versions of any document but only stores and uploads the differences between files.
This makes uploads much quicker and reduces the amount of storage space required.
For additional control over file versions, there is the option to erase old versions as and when you wish to.
SpiderOak backs up desktops, laptops and servers running MAC, windows or Linux; Not to mention network drives and removable media all from a single account.
Simply pick a drive for archiving and SpiderOak will monitor the drive for changes and new items and append them to your backup queue.
Restore Features Since SpiderOak is a backup and synchronization service, you have instant internet access to any version of any file you have ever archived.
If the file you want to recover is a synced file, then it will be on any other device that you have setup for synchronization.
There is an option within the client utility 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 provides more rapid 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 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 accrued activity and statistics including the total amount of storage being used within your SpiderOak network.
As far as controls go, the installed software allows you to control the maximum size of individual files that can be backed up and to not backup files older than a stated time in addition to options to exclude specific files and folders.
Scheduling can be setup for backup, sync and sharing functions and can be configured to anything from automatic to once every 2 days.
If set to automatic any changes to files within the backup, sync or share sets will be instantly added to the upload list.
The SpiderOak client can be configured to use Proxy servers via the Network tab on 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 five tabs:
Device Support SpiderOak currently supports machines using Linux, Windows or MAC.
This includes server operating systems.
File Sharing and Collaboration SpiderOak uses a facility called ShareRooms which lets you share your files.
Changes to any files in ShareRooms are automatically available to all users of the ShareRoom and changes are appended 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 computer in the SpiderOak account, not just files synced to the online portal.
When a ShareRoom is created it is assigned a unique web location which you can distribute to anyone you want to access the ShareRoom or you can 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 may have an unlimited amount of PCs in a single account and let all of them to sync with a central repository.
It is possible to configure different sync jobs for your files and the whole process is protected 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 very good as is the forum and blog.
The list of non-interactive support options is quite extensive:
Ease of Use You can sign up, download the client software, and be protected by SpiderOak in less than five minutes.
The client is well designed, easy to use and gives lots of information without overwhelming you.
Shares, synchronizations and archives are all easy to configure and monitor.
Cost
The pricing is good and since extra storage is always available in impressive 100Gb chunks you never have to worry about running out of growing space.
Add to this the unlimited file versioning and easy restore options and SpiderOak is a great choice.
The only downside is that portable devices such as iPhones and PDAs are currently not supported.
Yet, if you have Windows, MAC or Linux devices that need to share or sync files then SpiderOak is an excellent choice.
They run an Online Backup, Online Synchronization and Online Sharing Service which gives 100Gb of web storage for $10 per month and you can have up to 1.
5Tb of storage in 100Gb chunks, each chunk costing an additional $10 a month.
Security SpiderOak take security extremely seriously.
Unconvinced with 256bit AES encryption on files 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.
They additionally give 'zero-knowledge' data encryption which means that at every stage, there is absolutely no way that anybody - even SpiderOak employees - are able to view any of your files, 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 several high speed connections to the internet.
They also will provide geographically redundant protection (where your information is stored in several data centers located in different parts of the world at the same time) for a premium price.
Backup Features SpiderOak uses a storage redundancy process that means only one copy of a unique file is kept 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 amount of storage you need and allows SpiderOak to hold unlimited file versions of any document but only stores and uploads the differences between files.
This makes uploads much quicker and reduces the amount of storage space required.
For additional control over file versions, there is the option to erase old versions as and when you wish to.
SpiderOak backs up desktops, laptops and servers running MAC, windows or Linux; Not to mention network drives and removable media all from a single account.
Simply pick a drive for archiving and SpiderOak will monitor the drive for changes and new items and append them to your backup queue.
Restore Features Since SpiderOak is a backup and synchronization service, you have instant internet access to any version of any file you have ever archived.
If the file you want to recover is a synced file, then it will be on any other device that you have setup for synchronization.
There is an option within the client utility 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 provides more rapid 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 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 accrued activity and statistics including the total amount of storage being used within your SpiderOak network.
As far as controls go, the installed software allows you to control the maximum size of individual files that can be backed up and to not backup files older than a stated time in addition to options to exclude specific files and folders.
Scheduling can be setup for backup, sync and sharing functions and can be configured to anything from automatic to once every 2 days.
If set to automatic any changes to files within the backup, sync or share sets will be instantly added to the upload list.
The SpiderOak client can be configured to use Proxy servers via the Network tab on 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 five tabs:
- Status - provides details of shares, syncs and backups from all of the PCs setup in your account.
As well as the amount of your current storage allowance being used. - Backup - this is where you select which files to backup on the current machine.
- View - This displays currently backed up files and folders for each of the PCs in your SpiderOak network and lets you to download any file or folder as a compressed (zip) file.
- Sync - This tab lets you to setup or configure sync jobs between PCs in your SpiderOak network.
- Share - The final tab controls and displays the status of shares.
Device Support SpiderOak currently supports machines using Linux, Windows or MAC.
This includes server operating systems.
File Sharing and Collaboration SpiderOak uses a facility called ShareRooms which lets you share your files.
Changes to any files in ShareRooms are automatically available to all users of the ShareRoom and changes are appended 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 computer in the SpiderOak account, not just files synced to the online portal.
When a ShareRoom is created it is assigned a unique web location which you can distribute to anyone you want to access the ShareRoom or you can 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 may have an unlimited amount of PCs in a single account and let all of them to sync with a central repository.
It is possible to configure different sync jobs for your files and the whole process is protected 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 very good as is the forum and blog.
The list of non-interactive support options is quite extensive:
- Documentation
- FAQs
- Demos
- Testimonials
- Tutorials
- Case Studies
Ease of Use You can sign up, download the client software, and be protected by SpiderOak in less than five minutes.
The client is well designed, easy to use and gives lots of information without overwhelming you.
Shares, synchronizations and archives are all easy to configure 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
The pricing is good and since extra storage is always available in impressive 100Gb chunks you never have to worry about running out of growing space.
Add to this the unlimited file versioning and easy restore options and SpiderOak is a great choice.
The only downside is that portable devices such as iPhones and PDAs are currently not supported.
Yet, if you have Windows, MAC or Linux devices that need to share or sync files then SpiderOak is an excellent choice.
