BitTorrent Releases Sync Pro as Cloud Alternative
Nearly a year and a half ago, BitTorrent released what they dubbed Sync. The sophisticated file syncing software works by skipping the cloud and connecting peers using the popular torrent medium. The BitTorrent Sync Pro looks to compete with the likes of DropBox, OneDrive and Google Drive in efforts to gain market share in the file syncing world however unlike the aforementioned services, BitTorrent Sync Pro lets you move files directly from your hardware using a secured channel. Analysts mention that this syncing capability stretches far past the traditional use of photo sharing and social media; BitTorrent Sync is being using in corporate environments as a way to distribute content to servers throughout the network.
Erik Pounds from BitTorrent comments on the new Sync client in a blog post saying, “The capabilities of Sync have allowed it to be used in many, and very different, ways. From distributing files across remote servers to sharing vacation photos, Sync has shined for many user; As we evolve the technology and the product, it has become apparent that to satisfy the needs of Sync’s most popular use cases, different products are required.”
Pounds goes on to mention that keeping file contents consistent across big networks is easily achieved using the BitTorrent Sync client. Pounds mentions, “In order to give IT admins a powerful solution to deploy, manage, monitor and scale Sync operations, this optimized product is being built. For example, we’ve already increased Sync’s scalability in our lab to 1,000 devices, with some full synchronization events finishing in less than one minute.”
In regards to BitTorrent Sync being a viable alternative to public cloud storage, Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group cites data privacy as being a major catalyst in his decision to shy away from public cloud solutions and evaluate BitTorrent Sync. Enderle says, “This is ideal for folks who don’t like the idea of their stuff being in some public service, unknown country, and being mined for information for whatever reason. The user’s information stays on their hardware within their control, and a lot of users like this concept.”
BitTorrent has a free version of this software available but the Sync Pro version is priced at $39.99 per year. Many analysts say that similar software exists yet the price tag is more than double BitTorrent’s price and some question whether or not the other solutions are inferior to BitTorrent.
