Symform, a company specializing in the backup and disaster recovery segment for small to medium-size businesses, announced the availability of version 2.0 of the Symform Cooperative Storage Cloud. The new version introduces laptop backup support and two expanded functions: flexible contribution and instant restore. Additionally, the user experience has been redesigned and the speed of data throughput has been increased, the company said.
The flexible contribution feature enables the contribution of storage and bandwidth from another Symform node or nodes that are organized in a Symform resource group. Partners are now able to set-up additional storage in their offices (or in a co-lo facility) so that clients don’t have to manage it. Additionally, partners are now able to pool resources and contribute from multiple nodes. As an example, Symform suggested a business that has multiple offices and wants to contribute storage and bandwidth from more than one office on behalf of the entire group.
The instant restore feature enables a partner to sync a Symform node (storing their client’s data) to the Symform Cooperative Storage Cloud and simultaneously sync it with another node, such as one in a partner’s office, the SMB owner’s home, or in a co-lo facility. Symform explained this way a client’s data is always available and ready to be restored immediately should a disaster occur. The heart of Symform’s software is a proprietary technology called RAID-96.
In addition, Symform’s software now runs on a laptop where it can continuously sync data from the laptop to the Symform Cooperative Storage Cloud. The company argued that since laptops aren’t frequently in the office or tethered to the Internet, the flexible contribution function makes it easier for a laptop node to contribute storage from another node or nodes in a Symform resource group.
“Symform continues to deliver on our mission to protect the data of SMBs worldwide and we’re doing this ten times cheaper and ten times faster than any other traditional online storage service,” said Praerit Garg, president and co-founder of Symform. “Version 2.0 incorporates key features and functions that our reseller Partners have requested since our debut in October 2009. These are truly game changers for this market and we’re thrilled at the early feedback.”