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Company background - Livedrive is backed by Andrew Michael. Andrew founded Fasthosts Internet Limited, Britain’s premier and most successful Internet provider which was sold in 2006 for in excess of $120m. Andrew commented: "Online storage is the future. Lots of companies are trying to do it today but the products are crap and not a replacement for traditional storage methods. Livedrive has been over two years in the making and will be the standard by which all competing products are judged". Livedrive has one of two versions: LiveDrive Backup and LiveDrive Briefcase (Pro). The Backup version can backup of unlimited devices and an unlimited volume of files. The Briefcase or Pro version includes all the functionality of the Backup version however also gives sharing and synchronization of information via unlimited internet enabled devices. Security Features - LiveDrive offers 128bit SSL encoding to their web portal along with password protection for your account. Information transfer to and from their data centers is protected by 256bit AES encryption – the most secure encryption we have discovered for file transfers. When on their servers, your data is protected with 256 AES encryption (that's very good!) and private key encryption is also available. As for the servers, your data is stored on military grade servers in diverse data centers. These were originally only in the United Kingdom, however, since expanding their service to other global regions, they have also widened their grid of data centers which ensures your data’s protection. Backup Features - One of the most impressive features of LiveDrive Backup is that it is truly unlimited. While using LiveDrive we have backed up many terabytes of data. Including files on the backup set is as easy as right-clicking the file or folder and clicking ‘add to backup’ from the LiveDrive submenu. Once Included in the backup schedule, files are monitored for changes and scheduled for archiving when they are amended. File versioning is automatically enabled on any files within the backup set and are permitted up to thirty versions of any file. Open files are also archived regularly and thanks to the ‘block level incrementation’ technology only the altered parts of files are uploaded and these are then used to create a new version of the file. This technique massively reduces the amount of data that needs to be sent over the internet. Network drives and removable devices ,for example, pen drives or other USB devices can also be backed up. {There is a progress indicator|A progress indicator is included| as well as status messages so you know what is being backed up and what is scheduled to be backup up. Restore Abilities - you can restore up to 30 versions of any file that has been archived by entering the web portal, choosing the file you wish to recover and picking the edition of the file according to date and time. Once selected simply select where you would like it restored to and the service begins the recovery process. Simple. Easy. Painless. Control and Analysis - There are independent upload and download flow sliders in the desktop client but no CPU controls. Socks Proxy servers are supported which is good if you are in a public environment and need to access the internet by way of a proxy server. You can also set priorities of types of files, so if you are slowly uploading your entire music collection, you should set excel docs and other file types ahead of movie files so that your more vital data is archived faster. Interface - LiveDrive blends very well with the desktop on PC and MAC. It has a system tray icon to give quick access to information and option screens. The web portal is very straightforward to navigate and use. There are many collaboration, file sharing and synchronization options added in the professional version of LiveDrive which is called Briefcase. Devices do need the client software installed to run LiveDrive but this is a simple and straightforward process that takes a few minutes to download and run. Device Support - Currently LiveDrive supports Microsoft Windows – XP, Vista and Seven; MAC OS 10.5+; iPhone OS 3.0+; Blackberry and any web-enabled product via the web site. Limitations - None found so far. Collaboration and Synchronization - If you use the Pro or Briefcase version of LiveDrive then you gain access to a host of collaboration and synchronization tools added to your unlimited online backup solution. When you enable the Briefcase option a logical drive is created on every computer to store all your shared files. Initially the drive letter it L: however you can change this in the client software. Any file that is moved or copied to the virtual drive gets copied to the web site and to the other devices that have the briefcase feature enabled and are configured for the same LiveDrive Account. File conflicts are configurable and can be set to perform an automatic option of your choosing or to notify you with each issue. There is also a beta option called ‘LAN synching’ which lets devices on the same network (for instance you may have a family PC, netbook and PDA all using the same internet connection) to syncronize data on your LAN rather than uploading every change to the web and back. This is a really useful ability especially if you have loads of files that you have to initially update on one or several devices. Another very useful feature of the Briefcase is the option to have a local version of all your data from the virtual drive. Therefore you have access to the virtual drive even when you are offline. When you re-connect to the net, any changed files will be updated on the web portal and amendments are pushed out to the other devices as and when they also come online. File Sharing - File sharing is possible in the web portal as well as in the client software - if using the Briefcase version. Simply pick the file or folder you want to share, click the share button and then choose to share privately or publically. Public File Sharing means everyone with the exact web address view the file. If you choose this option, you are given a unique web address for every file. This can then be sent to anyone you wish. Private File Sharing means only people you choose have access to the file. If you choose this option then you must enter the email addresses for every user you wish to have access to the file. It is possible to append a specific message to provide more information about the file you are giving access to. The program then emails all of the email addresses previously listed giving general information, your private message and a unique web address for the file being shared. Web 2.0 Integration - LiveDrive has a music and video player built into the web portal, along with a nifty slideshow feature. LiveDrive is also partnered to quite a few web applications including: Facebook, Flickr, SmugMug, Photo Flexer, Zoho, Spibd, PicNik and others. This means you can access and update the majority of your files directly from the web site. Customer Support - There is no phone or online chat support. Yet, apart from wanting to make unusual requests we have never needed to talk directly to LiveDrive’s support. There is an email form on the client software and on the web site which they answer very quickly in our experience. The Forum and Blog are excellent ways to find information or get questions resolved from both fellow users as well as from LiveDrive’s technical support team. The FAQ and knowledgebase are useful for general questions as is the demo on their website and there are case studies available on their website. A free version is not available however a 14 day free trial is given on both types of account. Usability - LiveDrive is very simple to use. After signup, you can instantly download the utility to your web enabled devices and either start backing up your files or – if you have bought the far more useful Briefcase option – begin dumping data to your L: drive. Restores and file sharing are no hassle to configure and integrating with online services to view data even on the move couldn’t be easier. Cost Initial setup: Free 14 day trial Monthly plan costs: Basic - $6.95/mth; Pro - $16.95/mth Yearly plan costs: Basic - $69.50 / yr; Pro - $169.50 / yr Initial allowed storage amount: Unlimited Cost of additional storage: No cost Cost of additional devices / users: No cost Referral Program: Yes E-billing facility: Yes Verdict - LiveDrive is a great backup program, it is tucked away cleanly and only alerts you when necessary. If you go for the Briefcase option then the huge amount of functions you receive more than justifies the extra cost. With the large range of integration with online devices and online applications you have a complete online storage and workspace that automatically syncs with all your web devices. For small businesses this is a great way to collaborate your team together and keep everything up-to-date. For individuals it is a great way to keep a secure central storage location for all your information. There are cheaper Online Storage and Online Backup solutions out there; however, We there are no better ones. LiveDrive’s unique combination of easy interaction and many features make it a sure winner. And to make it even more appealing, if you go for the yearly plan, you will receive 2 months free and an extra 10% off FOR LIFE!
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