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#3 - SugarSync Review
Who will get the most out of SugarSync?
The tech-savvy mobile professional who needs a relatively small amount of data backed up and synced across computers and handheld devices (iPhone, iPad, Android/Blackberry/Windows Mobile phones, etc.).
Features
SugarSync offers a mobile-friendly, feature-packed online data backup, syncing, and file sharing service. The service is compatible with both PC and Mac and is designed to work with any mobile device that can access the internet, including iPhone, iPad, iTouch, Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices.
SugarSync makes it easy to share and sync folders, offering an ideal solution for power users or businesses with an interest in expanding or improving collaboration and data security measures.
Setup involves installing the client software, selecting the files to backup, and uploading them to SugarSync's data centers. Once that is completed, you won’t need to do much more as your files will be backed up continuously by SugarSync's system. This is done in real-time, so no matter when a problem arises, all changes you have made to files during that day are saved, provided the files or changes were small enough in size to be transferred completely. This is different from many services which only backup at specified times, and greatly reduces the risk of losing your data.
SugarSync does not automatically backup Outlook data (.PST files). We found information on the problem on the SugarSync website under the ‘Known Issues’ section. It stated: "...this is one of our most requested features so we are definitely looking to implement this.functionality in a future release." The workaround is to drag folders from Outlook into another folder for automatic backup. SugarSync was one of the first online backup services to offer remote access. This means that if your own computer fails, or you want access to your files while on the road, for example, you can access them from any computer with an Internet connection. As well, you can access your files using any mobile device with Internet access.
As the name suggests, SugarSync is quite useful in collaborating, and lets you send files of any size to another person--something you cannot do with most email accounts. For added security, you can set up permissions on different folders stored on the system, and assign passwords to other users so that they can access all folders or just specific ones. SugarSync also lets you synchronize files or folders so that if one person makes a change to a file it will show up whenever anyone else accesses the same file.
Security - 
Your files are uploaded to SugarSync's data centers using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), a type of data encryption or data "scrambling", used for the secure transfer of data over the Internet. Files remain encrypted on SugarSync’s servers. As an additional safeguard against losing your data, SugarSync backs-up all files at two different data centers, so should one go down, they would simply be able to switch over to the other set of backups. This is useful in the event of a natural disaster, for example.
SugarSync does not offer a private encryption key option, however. This would allow you to solely possess the key (password) needed to access your data. While this is preferred by advanced users who are very concerned with data security, the downside to managing your own private encryption key is that if you were to lose it you would have no way to access your data--no key, no data, period.
Price/Value - 
The pricing structure of SugarSync varies with the size of backup available, and the prices are on the high side considering the amount of storage space offered. The number and kind of features make up for this somewhat, but this is not a service for those who just want to backup their files online (See our Carbonite review).
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Ease of Use -
While not as streamlined or as simple as Carbonite's system, SugarSync’s software is easy to use, for the most part. SugarSync is automated, so once everything is set up, SugarSync takes care of the rest, automatically syncing and backing up files in real-time.
SugarSync makes restoring your files easy. If you accidentally delete a folder or file, you can simply click on that same file through the SugarSync site and it will be restored in the exact same state it was when last saved. Your data is automatically sorted, making it a simple process to locate the exact file you’re looking for and restore it in a few clicks. You can even access up to the last 5 saved versions, which is great if you accidentally save over something.
With SugarSync, different file types are automatically sorted instead of being stored in one big file. This can simplify the process of searching for specific types of files. The system sorts music and photos automatically, making it easy to locate the one you’re looking for even if you have hundreds of files stored.
Many of the type of users might gravitate toward a service like SugarSync's would also use Microsoft's Outlook software. The fact that SugarSync does not handle the automatic backup of this software out-of-the-box is a problem that we hope they will remedy soon. We would recommend SugarSync's service to many of our business clients but cannot do so because of this one issue.
Support -
SugarSync has a comprehensive “Getting Started” guide on their site, and if you do run into problems, you can access help via e-mail.
There is no free phone support available, but the site does have a live chat feature for it clients.
Rather than the traditional FAQ section there is a discussion forum – this is a little frustrating as it generally means sifting through lots of comments to find answers to your questions. It is probably easier just to hop on live chat and speak directly to support staff when possible.
SugarSync Review 2012 Conclusion
SugarSync is one of the best online backup services available for mobile phone and mobile device users, and businesses (if they don't use Outlook) that wish to backup and sync a small amount of data across multiple computers, handheld devices and users. The real-time nature of the system is an advantage in both minimizing data loss and creating a user-friendly system. There is no doubt that SugarSync would have been our top online backup service, if not for the price and the Outlook spoiler.
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