iDrive

iDrive, Developed to be the cloud back up service of the future.

Launched in 2007 by the same people that created IBackup;  IDrive are based in Calabasas, California.

iDrive have more than 3 million customers all over the world and they store more than 25 Petabytes of customer data.

They also offer IDrivesync which is a file sharing and synchronisation service and Remotepc which is a remote desktop access software suite.

IDrive’s innovative EVS cloud platform is designed with developers in mind. It has versioning and block level incremental transfers built in for both uploads and downloads. This enables you to customise your backup, sync, data sharing and disaster recovery plan by developing your own applications.

The iDrive website is informative and well set out. Not something that you can say about all cloud providers.

Backup and restore features:

iDrive‘s pricing is good but they will only allow you to pay for a minimum of a year for personal plans and some business plans.

Personal users have a choice of 1TB or 10TB with the same amount of sync space on unlimited devices.

Business users can choose between 250GB, 500GB, 1.25TB, 2.5TB, 5TB and 12.5TB, again with the same amount of sync space and unlimited devices, you can also set up an unlimited number of sub accounts for different users.

No matter how many employees you have you will not need to worry about paying a fortune to include them, just select a generous enough storage limit.  They also offer a free/trial plan at 5GB and you can earn extra storage through referrals, not exceedingly generous but will at least give you the chance to sample the services they offer.

The maximum file size is 10GB which is not very big and many competitors offer unlimited.  IDrive’s  file versioning is not the best either.  They will save up to 10 previous versions of any file which is quite low compared to the rest of the competition.  However, IDrive rewind will allow you to restore all backed up files to an earlier version at once rather than file by file.  This could save a lot of time at a point where you need it most.

iDrive also offers all the expected features, continuous backup, incremental backup, file syncing and backup scheduling. You can also back up external drives and NAS boxes which is not offered by everyone.  You also get bandwidth throttling and file sharing options. IDrive are one of only a few storage providers to offer all of these features together so this is an excellent all rounder.

Security

Data is encrypted for transfer and storage with a 256-bit AES encryption.  You can choose to have your own encryption key which will not be held anywhere on IDrive’s servers.  This is excellent from a security viewpoint.  Do remember that no one will be able to help you access your data if you lose it though!

They have a number of data centres across the US and your data is hosted at a number of locations.

Each data centre has world class facilities to prevent loss of equipment due to fire, flood and theft.

iDrive periodically back up your data to another set of devices to ensure it is safe.

It is unclear whether they own their servers which would be preferred.  They do not seem to offer remote wipe either which would be a helpful feature. On the plus side they do give you useful options with regard to permissions for file sharing.

Supported Configurations and Mobile Access:

iDrive supports Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 2012 Server, Windows 2008 Server, Windows Home Server, Windows Vista, Windows 2003 Server (Service Pack 1), Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4), Windows XP Home/Professional.

For Mac iDrive supports Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or higher.

There are also apps for Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices.  This is for back up as well as accessing your files.

Price Plans

5GB +5GB Sync space – Free – no credit card is required and it never expires.

You can get further credits by referring friends.

For several days they have been advertising a “today only” discount of 25% on 1 year plans and 50% of the first year on a 2 year plan.

 

Personal (unlimited devices):

• 1TB + 1TB sync space – $44.62 for the first year ($59.50 usually) and $89.25 for 2 years (usually $119.00)
• 10TB + 10TB sync space – $374.62 for the first year ($499.50 usually) and $749.25 for 2 years (usually $999.00)

Business (unlimited devices and sub accounts):

• 250GB + 250GB sync space – $74.62 for the first year ($99.50 usually) and $149.25 for 2 years (usually $199.00)
• 500GB +500GB sync space – $149.62 for the first year ($199.50 usually) and $299.25 for 2 years (usually $399.00)
• 1.25TB +1.25TB sync space – $374.62 for the first year ($499.50 usually) and $749.25 for 2 years (usually $999.00).  You can also opt to pay $49.95 monthly which is rather pricey, working out at $599.40 for a year.
• 2.5TB +2.5TB sync space – $599.62 for the first year ($799.50 usually) and $1199.25 for 2 years (usually $1599.00). You can also pay $79.95 monthly (.
• 5TB +5TB sync space – $1124.62 for the first year ($1499.50 usually) and $2249.25 for 2 years (usually $2999.00). You can also pay $149.95 monthly.
• 12.5TB + 12.5TB sync space – $2249.62 for the first year (usually $2999.50) and $4499.25 for 2 years (usually $5999.00). You can also pay $299.95 monthly.

Students, educational institutions, or anyone with a valid education domain (listed on the site) is offered 50% off.

Support

iDrive is really good here.  You have access to live chat 24/7 whether you are on business or personal.  Phone support 6am to 6pm PST and email support.  There is also an excellent knowledge base with FAQ’s and tutorials.

Not many providers offer all of this and certainly not for both personal and business users.  You should never struggle to get the help you need.

Conclusion

This is a comprehensive and well thought out offering by a company that knows this industry well. Pricing is generally competitive for what you get.

However, where offered, the monthly plans work out very expensive in comparison to their 1 or 2 year plans.  The website is clear and very informative.

In the unlikely event you cannot find what you need then there is good support 24/7.