Review of LiveDrive Online Backup

Overview and History - Livedrive is financed by Andrew Michael. Andrew created Fasthosts Internet Limited, The United Kingdom’s premier and most profitable Internet service provider which was sold in 2006 for in excess of $120 million. 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 comes in 2 versions: LiveDrive Backup and LiveDrive Briefcase (Pro). The basic version offers backup of unlimited devices and an unlimited volume of information. The Briefcase or Pro edition has all the functionality of the Backup edition but also allows sharing and synchronization of data from multiple online devices.

Security Abilities - LiveDrive uses 128bit SSL encrypted access to their web portal as well as password protection for your account. Data transfer to and from their central servers is protected via 256bit AES encryption – the best protection we have found for file transfers. Once on their servers, your information is protected with 256 AES encryption (that's military grade) and you can setup your own private key to manage the encryption if you wish.
As for the servers, your data is stored on state of the art servers in multiple data centers. These were originally only in the United Kingdom, however, since expanding their service to other global regions, they have also extended their network of data centers which ensures your data’s protection.

Backup Options - One of the most notable features of LiveDrive Backup is that it is really unlimited. We have been using LiveDrive for a couple of years now and have backed up several terabytes of files. Including files on the backup list is as simple as right-clicking the file or folder and selecting ‘add to backup’ from the LiveDrive submenu. When Included in the backup schedule, files are checked for amendments and scheduled for archiving as soon as they are altered. File versioning is automatically enabled on any files within the backup set and are allowed up to thirty copies of an individual file. Open files will also archived regularly and thanks to the ‘block level incrementation’ technology only the changed sections of files are uploaded and these are then added to a new version of the file. This method immensely reduces the amount of information that needs to be uploaded.
Network drives and removable devices ,for example, pen drives or other plug-and-play drives can also be backed up. {There is a progress indicator|A progress indicator is included| and status messages so you know what is being backed up and what is scheduled to be transmitted.

Restore Abilities - You May restore up to 30 different versions of any file you have archived by logging into the web site, selecting the file you wish to restore and picking the edition of the file via the timestamp. Then simply decide where you want it restored to and the service begins the restore process. Simple. Easy. Painless.

Control and Analysis - There are independent upload and download bandwidth flow settings in the desktop client but no CPU controls. Socks Proxy servers can be setup which is useful when you are in a shared environment and need to access the internet via a proxy server. You can also set priorities of types of files, so if you are slowly uploading your entire music collection, you may want to set documents and other file types before video files so that your more vital information is archived first.

Interface - LiveDrive integrates very well with the desktop on PC and MAC. It provides a system tray icon to permit quick access to information and option screens. The web portal is really easy to navigate and use.
There are several collaboration, file sharing and synchronization options dedicated to the pro version of LiveDrive called Briefcase. Devices do need the client software installed to run LiveDrive but this is a very easy and straightforward process that takes a few minutes to download and setup.

Device Support - At the time of writing LiveDrive supports Microsoft Windows – XP and up; MAC OS 10.5+; iPhone OS 3.0+; Blackberry and any net-enabled device via the web portal.

Limitations - None found so far.

Collaboration and Synchronization - If you buy the Pro or Briefcase version of LiveDrive then you gain access to a greate set of collaboration and synchronization tools added to your unlimited online backup solution. When you activate the Briefcase option a network drive is created on each device and this is where you store all your shared files. Initially the drive letter it L: but you can change this using the client software. Any file that is put on the logical drive gets copied to the web site and from there to all other devices that have the briefcase feature activated and are setup for the same LiveDrive Account. File conflicts are configurable and can be set to carry out an automatic option of your choosing or to ask what to do with each conflict.
There is also a feature called ‘LAN synching’ which allows devices on the same network (for example you may own a family PC, iPad and Blackberry all using the same router) to synch data inside your network instead of uploading every change to the web and back. This is a really useful feature especially if you have loads of files that you need to initially update on one or several machines.
Another very useful ability of the Briefcase is the option to employ a local cached copy of all the files on the virtual drive. Therefore you have access to the L: drive even when you are offline. When you re-connect to the net, all changed files will be updated on the web portal and changes are pushed out to the other devices as and when they also come online.

File Sharing - File sharing is available in the web portal as well as from the client software - if using the Briefcase version. Just choose the file or folder you need to share, use the share option and then select to share privately or publically.
Public File Sharing lets everyone with the exact website address access the file. If this option is chosen, you will be given a unique web address for the file. This can then be published to anyone you want.
Private File Sharing allows only users you choose have access to the file. If this option is chosen then you will be asked to enter the email addresses for each person you need to have access to the file. You can also add a specific message to send more information about the file you are granting access to. The program then emails each of the email addresses you setup showing general information, your private message and a unique web address for each file being shared.

Web 2.0 Integration - LiveDrive has a music and video player built into the web portal, and a slideshow function. LiveDrive is also connected to many online apps including: Facebook, Flickr, SmugMug, Photo Flexer, Zoho, Spibd, PicNik and others. This means you can get to and amend most of your files directly from the web site.

Customer Support - There is no phone or online chat support. However, not counting wanting to ask obscure questions there has been no need to talk directly to LiveDrive’s support.
There is an email form in the desktop software and on the web site which they answer very promptly in our experience. The Forum and Blog are great places to get information or get questions answered from both fellow users as well as from LiveDrive’s technical support team. The FAQ and knowledgebase are handy for general queries as is the demo on the website and there are case studies available on their website. There is no free version however a 14 day free trial is available on both types of account.

Ease of Use - LiveDrive is wonderfully easy to use. After you signup, you can instantly download the software to your web enabled devices and either start archiving your data or – if you have chosen the far more useful Briefcase option – begin moving files to the virtual drive. Restores and file sharing are extremely simple to use and integrating with online programs to view data when 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

To Sum Up - LiveDrive is a great archiving tool, it is tucked away cleverly and only alerts you when you need to be told something. If you go for the Briefcase version then the huge amount of abilities you receive more than justifies the extra cost. With the huge range of integration with online toys and internet apps. you have a complete online storage and workspace which automatically syncs with all your web devices.
For small businesses this is a great way to link your users together and keep your projects up-to-date. For individuals it is an excellent method to keep a secure centralized storage location for all your files. There are less expensive Online Storage and Online Backup solutions available; however, In our opinion there are not better ones. LiveDrive’s unique combination of easy interaction and great range of functionality make it a sure winner. If that is not enough, if you choose the yearly plan, you are given 2 months free and an extra 10% off FOR LIFE!

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