SpiderOak Review

• Features
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• Likes
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• Dislikes
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• User Reviews
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• Where to Buy

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SpiderOak Features/Benefits

SpiderOak provides innovative cloud-based personal data management services that simplify the process of backing up, accessing, organizing, sharing and synchronizing data from any number of computers or external storage media. The company’s solution suite protects users against data loss, permits browser-based access to information from the user’s personal computing devices from any Internet-enabled computer, ensures common file availability across multiple user machines with automatic syncing, offers password-protected ‘ShareRooms’ for easy family/friend/colleague access, and provides a variety of technical advantages for efficient and cost-effective data management.

Likes

"Zero Knowledge" data privacy policy. SpiderOak has implemented a “zero knowledge” encryption wherein you create your own password in your computer to generate an encryption and all data will be encrypted locally before being sent to SpiderOak servers. This means that only the user will know the password and will have access to all files. Not even employees of SpiderOak know the password and can gain access to the user’s data. SpiderOak makes it very important that you do not lose or forget your password. SpiderOak cannot reset your password for you since it is used on your computer to encrypt the data before being sent to SpiderOak.

Unlimited Version History. If in case you accidentally delete or have overwritten a file or simply would like to retrieve an earlier version of file, SpiderOak makes it easy for you since it stores the complete version history of every file. You can have access to the file from a specific point in time, so you have the option of downloading an earlier undamaged version.

Deleted Files Stored. Most backup companies store deleted files for a period of time, and once you went beyond the given timeframe, your no longer can recover that file. The great thing with SpiderOak is that it never removes your backup files not unless you decide to manually remove them. Item will be moved to the ‘Recycle’ bin indefinitely just in case an accidental deletion occurs.

Deduplication of Files. SpiderOak uses intensive and advanced data de-duplication and compression. In this way, SpiderOak cuts backup and sync time by as much as 90% that lets you save storage space, reducing storage costs.

Supports Multiple Computers/external drives in one account. Within a single SpiderOak account, you may use the SpiderOak application on as many computers as you would like, backing up as much or as little data as you need. SpiderOak also supports selecting external hard drives, removable devices, and network volumes for backup.

Multiple Support Options.  SpiderOak is dedicated to offering you the best customer service possible to its clients. Email, Phone, Twitter, Skype Chat and Skype Phone support is available depending on your preferred medium. 

Syncing Options. SpiderOak allows you to easily and securely synchronize files across multiple computers and any number of devices automatically and continuously on multiple platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux). This ensures that changes in designated folders on a given machine are replicated across all devices. No changes to the user’s existing folder structure are required.

Sharing Options. With SpiderOak, you are allowed to create ShareRooms which are secure locations where you can share your data to family and friends. This is a great feature if you want to share data by simply creating a ShareRoom while still giving them a secure access to each. All data within a ShareRoom is automatically updated when changes occur even over several machines, so no need to ever resend content. You can share only the latest folder.

Remote Access. Users can access all their backed up files though SpiderOak’s web interface and from the “View” tab in the SpiderOak software. Simply log in with your username and password and from there you can easily access and download your files using your web browser. This give you access to download all your files anywhere for as long as you have internet access.

Dislikes

No scheduled backup. SpiderOak will be adding the ability to automatically schedule backups within the SpiderOak application in a future version.

No Drag and Drop Restore. SpiderOak lacks the easy drag-and-drop restore via Explorer drive icons that is available with its competitors like Mozy.

No Default Configuration of important files. Unfortunately, SpiderOak lacks the ability to be able to automatically backup and add important data files such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Outlook Express e-mail, Quickbooks databases, Firefox settings et cetera to your backup. This is one major set-up since most users don’t know where these files are actually located. Since this setting is turned off by default, users have to figure out that there is a switch that you can turn on in order to see hidden folders.

  Where to Buy

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  Summary

All in all, we find SpiderOak as a solid online backup service that enables users to store, backup, sync, access and share files from any combination of Windows, Mac and Linux computers as well as external storage media in a single account.