BIOS: Technology Means Business

Over the last year a slew of new online backup services have launched with serious features, reasonable pricing (including free unlimited storage) and, in at least one case (OmniDrive), the ability to read/write directly to a file with local applications like Office, on the remote server. This last feature speeds the process of writing to files significantly by skipping the requirement to download the file to the hard drive first.

But browsers can be slow and hackers can intercept your e-mail. Diino is an innovative software application/online service from Sweden-based Bytek Systems that allows you to easily and economically create your own virtual private network from any Internet-connected computer. The basic 20MB service is free but you can pay to increase your storage space up to a maximum of 100GB (£39.99 per month) if you find yourself running short.

Designed for both individuals and business users who want to store, access and share large files, photos and video by using a secure, personal network, Diino’s user interface offers many speed and security advantages over browser-based solutions, including faster performance, greater security and portability. A free e-mail address also comes with your account, but this can only be accessed via the Diino interface.

Online storage is important as it provides ‘instant’ access to information across the network. However, too many organisations make the mistake of storing all of their information on their network servers, either on the computer’s hard disk memory, or utilising RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology. Online Storage stores your files securely in one location for easy access from any Internet-connected computer.

However, you shouldn’t believe that online storage provides you with instant access to you information. While this is true to a certain extent, it is a costly approach which can make the data vulnerable to being altered (either deliberately or accidentally) or even deleted. This is where assessing the value of the data held becomes important, because if your company’s network experiences any downtime and cannot access its mission critical data, it is only a matter of time before the bottom line of the business is impacted.

As the amount of data stored online increases, it also puts the server and network under more pressure, and essentially slows down the operating speed and therefore efficiency of the system. Putting all your eggs in one basket with the objective of rapid data access can often backfire - the sheer quantity of data will overload the system, become inefficient and ineffective. Another, important issue pertaining to online storage is that the information held is not legally admissible. Information which is likely to be required for legal reasons must be held on a write once media such as CD-R, DVD-R or WORM. This means that the data held cannot be altered or become corrupt in any way.

Considering these advantages and disadvantages of storing your data online, Diino is an easy-to-use a relatively cost-effective solution for anyone who wants to share and store family photos and video, or professionals, such as business travellers, attorneys, architects and graphic designers, who need to easily access, share and store large or important documents in a secure manner.

You can sign up for a free Diino account, which includes 20MB of storage and has all the functionality of paid accounts. Online paid storage ranges from 1- to 100GB. For example, for £4.99 per month you can purchase a 10GB account, which includes storage, access and sharing of around 4 hours of high-definition videos, 2000 MP3s and 10000 digital photos. To use the service you simply need to insert the supplied Diino CD-ROM (you can also download Diino software onto your own CD or USB drive) and enter you login details - no software installation or URLs are required!

You’re then whisked off to your private Dinno online folder, which looks just like Windows’ ‘My Documents’ Folder. A major advantage of this is that once you log out and close the Diino user interface, no trace of Diino or the files you accessed remain on the host computer - there’s not even a URL. The downside is that you’re in trouble if you forget your Diino software CD-ROM/USB Flash drive, and you’re limited to the speed of your Internet service provider.

With Diino you can share any size digital photos or video files with friends and family. You can also send simple links or create an unlimited number of individually password-protected share folders. Diino even provides a safe place to store and organise all your photos and videos. In fact, the software even provides a built-in MP3 player so you can listen to your tunes on any computer, anywhere, without having to download it first. You can also create your own playlists and stream them radio style to friends or colleagues in the office (we’re sure the boss will approve - Ed!).

Business users may appreciate the fact that up to five simultaneous users can access a Diino account allowing you and your colleagues to collaborate on presentations, contracts and proposals from different locations. Diino allows you create an unlimited number of individually password-protected share folders and within each folder you can control whether users can view, edit or add the documents. And if you want to work on large business files at home, you can simply drag-and-drop files into your Diino account before you leave the office and access them later from your home computer. Unlike USB drives or other portable storage, you can’t loose your Diino account and there is no chance of confidential documents falling into the wrong hands.

Unlike typical Web drives, Diino doesn’t connect to your computer’s file system, helping to ensure that virus’ and worms can’t infect files stored in your Diino account. Files can be accessed from any PC (currently no support for Mac OS or Linux) connected to the Internet and are stored on secure servers with full backup. The service uses 2048-bit encryption (compared to 128-bits for most credit cards), and since Diino is separated from a user’s local file system, it is protected against malicious code.

The downside is that you always need to use the Dinno software (CD-ROM or flash drive) to access your files, which also applies to other people whom you wish to share your files with. Nevertheless, the software/service solution is secure and cost effective and should definitely be on your shortlist if you’re looking for an online service to keep your files safe. If nothing else, you should give the free 20MB service a spin. [8]

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