For example some Bookkeepers are using Dropbox to share the accounting files between them and their client.

Transcription

1 DropBox vs SugarSync - File storage in the cloud 1 Dropbox There are a number of solutions emerging into the market, which provide users the ability to store files in the cloud, which provide a number of benefits: Ability to share files with others Synchronise files with other devices such as smartphones, ipad, tablets or other PC s Online backup Remote file access Dropbox - What is it? Dropbox is a program / application which can be installed on your PC, Mac, Ipad, tablet or smartphones to provide you with the ability to synchronise files and folder to share amongst your devices, provide a backup solution or share files with others. For example some Bookkeepers are using Dropbox to share the accounting files between them and their client. Dropbox monitors files that are in the cloud and on the device. When changes occur it automatically updates the cloud version of these files with the latest version you have changed locally, this can occur in both directions. In the example above, when the client opens their Accounting file at their office and makes changes, the file is automatically synchronised to the cloud. When you the Bookkeeper are next connected to the Internet with your PC Dropbox will automatically update your local coy of the file. Important Note: For issue free synchronisation it is important in the above example that you and your client are not updating your local copies at the same times. If this is the case when the file is synchronised there will be a conflict and you will need to determine which file you want to keep. Note: For smartphones, Ipads and tablets, Dropbox will NOT automatically synchronise files. For these devices it will only update the file when you select them on the device or when you have the file marked as favourite. This is a good setup as it alleviates the possibility of unknowingly exceeding Data plans.

2 How does it work? Synchronising your files to the cloud 1. Download and Install Dropbox on your PC 2. Register with Dropbox with a username ( address) and password Install on your other device e.g. ipad, tablet or smartphone a. Once installed on your PC the Dropbox icon will appear in the system tray b. Dropbox also creates a folder called DropBox, any files or folders stored under this folder will be automatically synchronised 3. On your PC move the files and or folders you want synchronised into the Dropbox folder 1 Important note Before moving files check the size of the folders or files you are synchronising as these files are being uploaded to the cloud and will form part of your data usage Once the files are within your local Dropbox folder they will be s a. The Green tick indicates the Dropbox folder is fully synce b. The Blue circle and arrows means Dropbox is currently s c. The Red circle with an X mean Dropbox is unable to sy

3 Accessing files remotely You can access your files from any browser via the Dropbox website Below is the screen of your Dropbox webpage once you have logged in. From this page you have the ability to: Open and view your files Upload a file Download files Share files and or folders Recover deleted files To download a file using remote access 1. Open your browser and navigate to the Dropbox website 2. Click on the Log in icon top right 3. Entering your registered address and password. 4. Your Dropbox webpage will be displayed (As seen above) 5. Click on the Files tab to see your files and folders 6. Double clicking on the file will download and open the file to the PC you are on

4 Sharing files Sharing files can be done from you PC or via your Dropbox web page. Below is your Dropbox web page showing your shared folders and who they are shared with. Sharing a folder from your PC 1. Open the Dropbox folder and select the file or folder you want to share

5 2. Right click on the file or folder and select Share file or Share folder 3. Your Dropbox webpage will open with a window to share 4. Under Invite others enter the address of the person you want to share the file or folder with 5. Enter a optional message 6. Dropbox will send an to the recipient Recipient If they are already registered with Dropbox they simply accept the invitation and the file or folder will be added to their Dropbox Recipient is NOT registered with Dropbox o They will be asked to register with Dropbox to create a Dropbox Account o Once they have created the account they can access your shared file or folder via their Dropbox webpage or when the file has synchronised on their PC Accessing files via your smartphone or other device 1. Install the Dropbox application on your device 2. Open the App and register with your Dropbox account details you set up on the computer 3. Click on the Dropbox Icon to see your Dropbox folder with all files and folders which are synchronised 4. Click on the file to open Below is the Dropbox application once opened on a ipad. On the left side of the screen are the folders which have been synchronised to your Dropbox cloud storage. Note: Files, which are selected as favourite, will be automatically downloaded to the device

6 SugarSync SugarSync is a similar program to Dropbox with some operational differences. Drop box creates a folder called Dropbox on your PC. Only folders and files under the Dropbox folder are synchronised to the cloud. SugarSync does NOT install a folder on your PC. Instead when installing the SugarSync application on your PC it asks you to select the folders you wish to synchronise to the cloud. Adding files or folders to be synchronised to the cloud with SugarSync Right click on the SugarSync icon in the system tray (bottom right) Select Add folders to SugarSync Click on the arrows as seen below to expand your directory structure till you are able to select the folder or file you wish synchronised Click OK Costs Dropbox 1st 2GB free 50GB (Pro 50) - $9.99 per month or $99 per year 100GB (Pro 100) - $19.99 per month or $199 per year

7 SugarSync 1st 5GB free 30GB $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year 60 GB $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year 100 GB $14.99 per month or $ per year Security & Backup Dropbox uses Amazon s Simple Storage Service (S3) for storage, which is stored in multiple data centres across the US. Files are stored using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and AES 256 bit encryption. SugarSync uses industry best practices to ensure data is safe and secure. Files are transferred using TLS and are stored in the cloud using 128-bit AES encryption. Are Dropbox and SugarSync my backup solution. Both products are essentially a cloud synchronisation service. If you delete a file that is being synchronised on your local PC the file stored in the cloud is also deleted. Dropbox retains a snapshot of every saved change in your Dropbox folder over the last 30 days. If you have accidently deleted a file you can recover the file from your Dropbox webpage. Old versions Dropbox retains versions of each change in the file for 30 days and these can be accessed by right clicking on the file and selecting View Previous Versions SugarSync When a file or folder is deleted on your local PC your SugarSync synchronised file or folder in the cloud is removed from that folder and moved to the Deleted files area. They remain there until you permanently delete them. Old versions SugarSync automatically saves and retains the past 5 versions plus the current of all synchronised files.