dinCloud Review
If you are operating any sized business and are looking to migrate your IT infrastructure to the cloud, you have, in all likelihood, found your match. Not wanting to become more of a “commercial” product, dinCloud took a hard look at the cloud industry and quickly realized the way to do this was to help enterprises with their cloud storage needs. By running a small but effective service, dinCloud has established quite a name for themselves on “the Street.” Two person to Fortune 500 companies frequently give credit to dinCloud as their cloud service provider. They offer a wide range of solutions for all types of cloud activity that you would require. Many businesses look at the security measures of a cloud company when purchasing a plan. dinCloud offers each entity something called a “dinServer” which is essentially a private data center. They do not stop there with their security, which we cover in the security section.
Features
Since dinCloud has two main focal points, “Hosted Virtual Server” or “Hosted Virtual Desktop,” there is a ton of flexibility with how you control your cloud environment. Additionally, the amount of features offered by dinCloud are vast and specific since it is custom made. Some of the benefits you will receive through a virtual hosted server are the ability to control your cloud environment while accelerating time to market. With a virtual desktop, users have a great experience even with low bandwidth while being able to access critical business applications. That being said, here are some of the features offered by dinCloud:
- Application hosting
- Automated provisioning
- Storage & backup
- Server infrastructure
- Spin up/down servers
- Failover redundancy
- Web login manager/connection
- Active directory automation (integrate with Microsoft Active Directory via “dinManage”)
We would like to expand on “dinManage” since many businesses would be spending most of their time there. dinManage is essentially an online application where you can complete many tasks. As per dinCloud’s website, “dinManage is an online application that enables our customers to configure virtual private data centers securely in the cloud giving them complete control of their own environment – including desktops, servers and network security resources.” It may sound a bit overwhelming, but it is rather intuitive and is very easy to navigate, especially for IT specialists.
Ease of Use
You would most likely assume that accessing and running dinCloud is a bit of a daunting task. That assumption would be (semi) wrong. While it is not as easy as navigating through a service like JustCloud for an individual, you could still do it with ease. dinCloud uses a unique platform when it comes to using their service. Once you purchase a plan, you simply log in to their website and you will have instant access to everything you need. Since dinCloud mainly caters to businesses, and they certainly understand that, it is one of the best (if not the best) service to use in terms of ease of use for IT professionals.
dinCloud Sign Up Process
Pricing
When you browse through their shop, you are first guided to a “configure and buy” option. This may seem a bit much at first, however we prefer this method over other companies that may ask for payment later. Here, you know what you are getting and at what price. dinCloud offers such a wide variety of payment options that it would be beneficial if you took a look yourself at their products and payment plans. What we can tell you is be prepared to pay in the ballpark of $50-80/month on average which is extremely cheap, especially considering other alternatives.
Security
As a recurring theme throughout this website, the one factor cloud companies always focus on more than others is security. This is especially true with dinCloud as their target market are enterprises with priceless data. Not only are you given access to your own personal data center, but you will also be entitled to a virtual private firewall where you can manage public or private IP addresses, enable port forwarding and create VPN tunnels between dinCloud and on site data centers to enable hybrid cloud. Moreover, the virtual data centers come with multiple security levels. They also employ a 256-bit AES encryption for VPN peer to peer and remote access. If that isn’t enough, according to their website, their physical security measure include “24x7x365 security guards, DRV cameras, a biometric hand scan for outside entry, mantraps for internal entry, protected access to dinCloud infrastructure and special digital locks with separate codes per cabinet for front/back access.”
Customer Support
Because dinCloud services large businesses, they offer top notch customer service. One of the ways to keep your clients happy is by offering fast and efficient live chat, and dinCloud does just that. Furthermore, you can reach them by phone (not toll free and during standard business hours) or via their web contact form. You can also reach dinCloud via all the top social networking platforms or blog, or browse through their intuitive videos in the highly unlikely event of your IT staff requiring assistance.
Summary
While an individual could use dinCloud with ease, it is recommend they look at other “commercial” options. It is quite clear that dinCloud was created with businesses in mind. However, if you are a business, no matter the size, you will want to use dinCloud’s service. It will be difficult to find a better service with this many features and levels of security.
