BitTorrent has announced that its Sync file sharing software has left beta as of the release of version 2.0, and will begin offering a subscription service for “Pro” users. However, this isn’t the sort of illegal file sharing that the company’s technology is often linked with. Instead, it’s an alternative to cloud-based file sharing intended for teams and individuals.
Concerns regarding security and infrastructure have been core to the development of Sync. The software uses the company’s file-sharing technology to offer access to files between different devices. In doing so it distributes the load, making the files more redundant and available without an expensive server infrastructure or large cloud storage package from a third party vendor. BitTorrent also contends this increases security, as it means files are never outside the control of you or your organization.
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Use of Sync’s basic functionality is free to all users, as well as a subscription service that offers extra capabilities catering to business use at a price of $40 per user, per year. A 30 day trial of Sync Pro is available at no extra cost to users looking to test drive the services before they put any money down.
Even in the wake of their own security breaches last year, we saw Apple continues to expand its iCloud services with new pricing and functionality. It’s clear that the biggest names in tech consider the cloud to be hugely important for the future, and BitTorrent will be hoping that its spin on this sort of technology will resonate with users.
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It’s only going to become more and more important for people to be able to have access to their files no matter what device they’re using — as well as being safe in the knowledge that those files aren’t liable to fall into the wrong hands. Sync 2.0 looks set to offer just that, but the software will face stiff competition from a range of competing products gunning for the very same users.
Sync 2.0 is available now, and can be downloaded directly from the BitTorrent’s GetSync website.
