SpiderOak Review
Illinois based SpiderOak was founded in 2007 with the dream of providing the most private and secure cloud storage services possible. They not only achieved this but have also created a service that shines. Their storage service has such a multitude of advanced features that it is attractive to every type of customer. Though they have users across the board from enterprise to home, they are truly ideal for the home and small business user.
Features
The standout feature of this service is their De-duplication feature. Unlike some of their competitors, SpiderOak wants to ensure you make the most of your available storage space and are not wasting it on unnecessary files. Their De-duplication feature ensures you are not storing multiple identical copies of the same file stored across the cloud. Other important features include:
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited File Sizes
- Supports Every File Type
- Unlimited Devices
- Unlimited Versioning
- File and Folder Sharing
- Free Mobile Apps for Android and iOS
Additionally, SpiderOak have guaranteed convenience for every customer by allowing for multiple computers on the same package that are supported by Windows PC, Mac or Linux.
Pricing
SpiderOak have set up their pricing package so the users can control exactly the amount of storage they want or need. Storage is sold in 100 GB increments, and plans start at 100 GB going up to 5,000 GB. However, if you would ever need more than 5,000GB, you can contact them to arrange for more space. You can opt to choose the plan which offers 2GB of free storage, and if you decide to upgrade to their basic 100GB package, it will cost you $10 per month (or $100 a year if billed annually). It is $10 more per month for each additional $100GB of storage space.
Ease of Use
Installation was a breeze and took only a couple of minutes. To begin, all you need to give is a self-created username, your email address and password, and you are ready to begin. Once you have an account, you can decide which storage option you prefer.
The dashboard user face was designed for optimum convenience and your home screen shows check boxes to select what to backup. You can chose your preferred folder from a list of available options including: ‘Desktop,’ ‘My Documents,’ ‘My Movies,’ ‘My Music,’ and ‘My Pictures’ for backup.
Additionally, you can select individual files for backup using their ‘Click and Save’ tool. This is their re-invention of the traditional ‘Drag and Drop’ tool whereby users can select files for backup in their dashboard within the tabs mentioned above. Then, a mirror copy of each selected file is uploaded to their servers. This essentially means that instead of dragging a file to the backup folder like with Dropbox, you only need to click on the file for it to get backed up.
In addition to selecting your files, you can also set up automatic backups. You can select the frequency of backups from daily, weekly or monthly backups. Once set up, the backup process runs quietly in the background and you don’t need to think about it again if you don’t want to.
SpiderOak Dashboard
Security
SpiderOak really shines with their security. All data is stored and encrypted with the highest levels of protection that they can’t even see what you are storing. Not only do they provide SSL security and AES-256 bit encryption, but SpiderOak also stores data in a ‘zero-knowledge privacy environment.’ This means that there is no way for anyone at SpiderOak to know what you are storing. You are given a unique password to access your files. This password is only known to you and not stored on the servers. Consequently, you need to be extremely careful not to forget or misplace your password because once lost, SpiderOak cannot replace it and all of your files will be lost.
Customer Support
SpiderOak offers the full support package. The have a particularly helpful live chat team, as well as phone and email support. Moreover, they have an extremely well-stocked FAQ page so there are no issues you could possibly encounter that you won’t be helped through.
Summary
SpiderOak’s storage is a service that stands out. From their unbeatable security and intuitive user interface to their fantastic support, even the least technological users will feel comfortable using them. Though their prices are not on the cheaper end, their numerous features and overall quality service more than makes up for it. We would happily recommend this service to all home and small business users.
