After coping with the security issues of Windows 10, it was such a pleasant surprise to find an ‘app’ that is unabashedly security conscious! And yes, Sync.com, I’m talking about you. But first, a quick word about the problems that sync.com solves: storage, backup and version control.
Normally, when you create a file on your computer, you save it to your computer – i.e. onto the harddrive inside the physical ‘box’. If you’re super organised, you may also save that file to an external harddrive or USB device, as a form of ongoing ‘backup’. Belt-and-braces type people might save that data to a DVD as well, giving them multiple backups in case of disaster.
But all of these various types of storage have one, critical downside – a change made in one copy of the data will NOT be reflected in the other copies. If you have 3 copies of a particular file, you will have to manually update each copy.
There is also another issue that can be a nightmare – version control. Let me give you an example. Every time I work on my WiP [work in progress], I save it to my desktop, and then I copy it to my USB device. The latest version from the desktop always over-writes the version on the USB. Obviously, this is so I always have at least one copy of my work no matter what happens [e.g. the house burns down in a bushfire or some other catastrophe].
But what if I have 2 computers and want to add to my WiP on both?
That is the problem I’ve been struggling with for the last few days: there’s no point having the laptop if I don’t use it for my work, but if I do use it while I’m away from home, how do I keep the versions straight?
My fear is that if I continue with the USB device, sooner or later I am going to get the latest version of the WiP wrong. In a moment of madness or tiredness or distraction, I’ll over-write the wrong copy and then I’ll be up the creek without a paddle. Enter cloud storage.
Like the USB drive or DVD etc., cloud storage saves your files outside your pc, usually in a server on the other side of the world. The file is ‘up-loaded’ to the cloud via your internet connection, and once it’s there, you can access it from any computer device you choose. You can also share that file with others if you wish.
For me, cloud storage means I can work on my WiP at home and have it synced to my laptop so if I go out, I can continue working on the WiP where I left off.
Lovely concept, right?
Unfortunately, the grand-daddy of cloud storage – Dropbox – showed that cloud storage can be hacked, and most reviews I’ve read say their security has not improved much if at all since then. Now, I’m not working on anything ‘naughty’ that I need to hide from anyone, but privacy is very important to me, and I would die if I lost four years worth of work through someone else’s ‘oopsie’. So no Dropbox.:(
I was trawling through the umpteenth review/comparison of cloud storage offerings – there are heaps of them! – when I came across Sync.com. And guess what! The thing that sets sync.com apart from the rest is its security. 🙂 Plus it’s Canadian, so not subject to some of the, um, government sponsored hacking found over the border.
And now for the acid test – does sync.com work?
Yes, yes, it does. 🙂
The two screenshots below show my desktop and the laptop. They’ve been synced via sync.com and the test files I used have shown up on both computers with only a very short delay – approx. 20 seconds or thereabouts.
So now I know the system works, and thankfully, getting it to work is really simple too.
How to use Sync.com
- First, register for the sync.com free, 5 GB plan: https://www.sync.com/install/
- Then download the installer to the first pc. Install Sync to the first pc using the account name you setup in step 1. Part of the setup process is the creation of a folder called ‘Sync’.
- Now, download and install the Sync installer to the second pc. Make sure you have a ‘Sync’ folder on the second pc as well.
- Drag and drop [or copy/paste] a file into the ‘Sync’ folder on the first pc.
- Wait 20? seconds and you will see that the file now appears in the ‘Sync’ folder of the second pc as well.
The Sync presence on your pc is minimal. If you need to do something with the actual app., you can find it inside ‘Show hidden icons’ on your taskbar:
All other work is done on the website itself. Once I’ve worked out how to share files with friends, I’ll detail that in a separate post. For now, I’m really happy with my new way of working.
Last question: was finding and installing Sync as easy or convenient as using the default OneDrive cloud storage app offered by Windows 10?
Simple answer: no. Installing and learning how to use Sync didn’t take me long, but it still required some time and effort on my part, the payoff, however, is more than worth it:
- I have an excellent cloud storage app.
- It has excellent security features, and
- I am in control, not Micro$oft
- oh…and Sync is free [unless I want heaps more storage]
By contrast, I pay for the ‘convenience’ of Windows 10 by handing Micro$oft my privacy on a plate. No contest.
cheers
Meeks
August 31st, 2016 at 6:31 pm
Good to know. I currently use Onedrive because various things I have signed up for means it’s free, also convenient for backing up pics as we travel and my needs are simple. I am wary though of auto-sync and back ups as I’ve had pics disappear via Google photos.
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August 31st, 2016 at 7:38 pm
I’ve setup StoryBox on Sync but I think I’ll continue to save a copy of Innerscape to the USB nonetheless. Better safe than very unhappy, Jan. 🙂
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August 30th, 2016 at 4:19 am
Good to know! Thanks for the evaluation of the app, I’ll tell my computer guy. I’m too much of a tech dodo to handle this alone.
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August 30th, 2016 at 10:13 am
lmao – tech dodo? What a lovely description. 😀
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August 30th, 2016 at 3:17 am
I use SugarSync and am mostly happy with it. Is that comparable?
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August 30th, 2016 at 10:15 am
Yes, yes it is! In fact, that’s the first one that caught my eye, but I kept looking because I didn’t want to pay a monthly fee. Just call me Scrooge. 😀
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August 29th, 2016 at 5:54 pm
I am so pleased I was introduced to your blog!! I’m a double hard drive back upper myself, but after ‘tidying’ my flash (containing my most urgently accessible back up that I no longer keep on my laptop in case of theft) into my mother’s laptop back after one of her visits to the helpdesk that is our kitchen table, I realised I ought to save this to the cloud also; but I don’t want to dropbox it, or onedrive it.
Thank you for the tip.
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August 30th, 2016 at 10:21 am
You sound just like me! And you might want to check out the one Mel mentioned too – SugarSync. I think there’s a small fee with that one but all the reviews I read were excellent.
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August 30th, 2016 at 4:12 pm
Fanks. 😀
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August 30th, 2016 at 7:11 pm
🙂
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August 29th, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Yep, such a dilemma. I hadn’t thought about keeping up-to-date versions for your book, but I can see how it would be a problem. I have been pondering something to store photos. Would this be a suitable solution for that too?
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August 29th, 2016 at 1:36 pm
Yes! You can store anything you want in the ‘cloud’. I never bothered with it before because my backup process was reasonably secure, but now that I have a mobile pc it’s very handy.
One thing though – Sync.com provides only 5 GB of free storage. That’s more than enough for me but photos would take upmore space so you might have to pay to the extra. Just check carefully before you go ahead.
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August 29th, 2016 at 12:59 pm
I’m so glad your perseverance paid off at last.It’s time there was something out there that was security conscious on our side.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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August 29th, 2016 at 1:38 pm
lol – couldn’t agree more! And soon we’ll have to worry about the Internet of Things as well – i.e. fridges that can act like computers and ‘order’ your milk and eggs online without you having to worry about it…. or not. 🙂
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August 29th, 2016 at 11:12 am
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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August 29th, 2016 at 11:17 am
Danke. 🙂
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August 29th, 2016 at 11:25 am
Hi, thx to you. Its a very good, and a very helpful description. Think a lot of people with more than one device will need syncing in such an easy way. Greetings!
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August 29th, 2016 at 11:27 am
Let us also wish you a nice week! 😉
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August 29th, 2016 at 8:09 am
Not a smart comment, but why don’t you use apple or linux?
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August 29th, 2016 at 11:21 am
lol – hate Apple more than Micro$oft and not smart enough for Linux. Plus I need to use Windows to teach it. 🙂
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