SugarSync Offers Cloud Syncing with Ease and Affordability

"Lighten your luggage--go mobile" got my attention at the SugarSync booth at the Connected Traveler media event in San Francisco in May. Planning to travel through SE Asia for several months with only a small backpack I was interested in anything that could lighten my load, and Robb Henshaw, the personable Director of Corporate Communications, was eloquent in describing the benefits.

SugarSync, offering document storage in the cloud for personal or business use, makes it easy and affordable to safely store and share photos and other documents, enabling the featherweight traveler to eschew technology and access documents from any computer, or travel light with only a tablet or smart phone.

Set Up

I've been testing SugarSync for the last few weeks and found it a snap to set up. The steps are clear and are designed for the average person, not a technical wizard. The screens are clean, with lots of white space, presenting an easily digested amount of information. Many helpful screen shots aid in navigation. I downloaded the software, which loaded quickly, accepted the ubiquitous user agreement, selected a screen name and icon and that was it. They don't ask for a lot of extraneous information so there are a minimal number of fields to complete. After getting a confirmatory email my account was ready to use.

Selecting files

I clicked on a tab called "Add Sync Folders" and was presented with a simple navigation tool that allowed me to see my file names, expand folders and check which documents I wanted to store. A green bar at the bottom tallied how much storage I had and how much was left for my plan so I could prioritize what I wanted to store.

To start I selected some text, photo and music files. Having been provided with 30 GB to test, and being a travel writer with lots of high resolution photos, I loaded up the queue. As expected, the upload of the photos took a while so I elected to leave it running overnight, and by morning everything was loaded. Seeing how easy the process was I loaded up more photo files and finally exceeded by 30 GB limit, whereupon a warning message appeared letting me know that some of my files weren't loaded. Options at that point were to upgrade my plan or chose files more carefully. I removed some non-essential files from SugarSync and got it below 30 GB. To remove files from syncing I clicked on a tab called "Manage Sync Folders" and found a list of all my synced folders. When I clicked on each folder individually I could see how large the file was, and could click a prominent X to stop synching. A warning message came on to ask me to confirm that I wanted to remove that file from synching but that no files would be deleted, a comforting message.

Troubles (user error)

One groggy morning before I'd had my tea I thought I'd do a little clean up and remove more non-essential folders to free up some space, and remembering how easy it was to stop syncing I clicked on a file, right clicked and hit "Delete". Big mistake. I was in the main screen, not "Manage Sync Folders". I did get a message warning me that the file would be deleted from my computer but blithely ignoring it in my hazy state I clicked on the very clear "Delete from Computers". A little while later the image of that warning screen popped in my head and I frantically checked my computer. Yep, the large file of important phots was gone, and it was gone from the main screen of SugarSync. After I calmed down long enough to see straight I noticed a pale yellow bar that let me know there were deleted files that could be restored. I checked the Help menu and saw "Restoring Files", and a flood of relief washed over me. The directions were clear and easy to follow, with screen shots to guide me. SugarSync saved me from myself and I calmly restored all my missing files. There is also a "Deleted Files" icon on the left navigation screen that directed me to the same screen. After that I made sure to make my changes from the "Manage Sync Folders" screen.

Lifesaver

I had just purchased a laptop and had been putting off the laborious process of transferring files from my main computer to my laptop. The SugarSync trial came at just the right time and saved me countless hours of tedium. After I got my selected files uploaded to the SugarSync cloud I was ready to add my laptop. Again, the steps to add my laptop were straightforward and easy to follow. From my laptop I went to the SugarSync website, downloaded the software and used my username and password from my original account. From there it was easy to add my laptop as a second device. Back at my main computer I was able to link the two computers from the "Manage Sync Folders" screen and, like magic, my files were downloaded from the cloud to my new computer. Again, because of a large number of hefty photo files I left the process running overnight for the initial load. Now, whenever I make a change to any files in my synced documents on either computer, the most recent version will be immediately synced. No more emailing or using a USB flash drive to transfer modified documents back and forth, a lifesaver for a travel writer in the middle of an article.

File sharing

Sending a document or photo was as easy as the other steps I've described. From the main screen I right-clicked on the file I wanted to share, selected "Send File" and got a screen that let me enter an email address or select from a variety of email service providers, and compose a message, with the file attached. A folder called "Shared Files" lets me manage what I do with those files. I can also get a URL for the file and send that to my contact. Folders can be shared with Read Only or Add & Edit permissions, and can be password-protected for extra security. A new feature is the ability to publish photos directly to Facebook.

Cons

It's a little hard to get used to how my folders are displayed as everything is lined up alphabetically--music files, photos and text documents all look the same. I have to think about whether a particular file contains photos or text documents.

I contacted tech support by email when I got a little confused about the status of my lengthy, initial download to my laptop with all those big files. It took more than 48 hours to get a response and required a second prompt from me, though they stated that their goal is with 24 hours. Once I got a response the technician was helpful in pointing out how to get to the "File Transfer Status" by clicking on the SugarSync icon in my toolbar, where I could also change the priority of the upload form normal to high.

Other Devices

SugarSync can be accessed from your computer, the web, or from a variety of mobile devices, including Phone®, iPad®, and iPod®, Android™, BlackBerry®, Symbian®, Windows Mobile® devices.

Pricing

If your needs are modest (5 GB) you can get a free account, not just a trial, though you can also sign up for a 30-day trial. This is a great option if you just want to store some text files or a few photo albums. The 30 GB plan is $4.99/month, or $49.99/year and larger plans are available up to 500 GB for $39.99/month or $399.99/year. Multi-user business plans are also available.

Summary

Using SugarSync can definitely lighten the load for the traveler on the go by allowing access to files stored in the cloud, but the product can be invaluable for almost anyone, especially those with multiple devices. The application is very easy to use and has made my life a lot easier by automatically syncing active files I'm working with. I would highly recommend SugarSync to anyone looking for a file backups, syncing or storage.