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SpiderOak

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Rebeccaroanoke (talk | contribs) at 22:03, 2 September 2014 (Added history, information about Crypton). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

SpiderOak
Developer(s)SpiderOak
Initial releaseDecember 2007
Stable release
5.1.8 / August 26, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-08-26)
Written inPython/Qt
Operating systemWindows, Linux, Android, Mac OS X, iOS
Available inEnglish
TypeOnline backup service
LicenseProprietary and GPLv3 (for some tools)
Websitespideroak.com

SpiderOak is a US-based[1] online backup tool to back up, share, sync, access and store[2] data using an off-site server. SpiderOak is accessible through an app for Windows, Mac and Linux computer platforms, and Android, N900 Maemo and iOS mobile platforms.[3] SpiderOak allows the user to back up any given folder of his/her computer. According to SpiderOak, the software uses encrypted cloud storage and client-side encryption key creation, so even employees of SpiderOak cannot access users' information. Some components of SpiderOak are open source, and as early as 2009 the company announced their intent for the client to be fully open source in the future,[4] but as of 2014 the client's source is not available.[5]

In mid-2014, the service was approaching 1 million users, and the company SpiderOak, based in a suburb of Chicago, had 42 employees, headed by CEO Ethan Oberman.[6] Besides Chicago, SpiderOak also has offices in San Francisco and Kansas City (both opened in 2013), as well as remote employees inside and outside the US.[7][8]

SpiderOak distinguishes itself from competition in provision of encryption,[9] in provision for syncing files and folders across multiple devices, and in automatic de-duplication of data.[10]

SpiderOak offers free-of-charge services for accounts that do not exceed a maximum size, premium services at a monthly fee, and referral discounts.[11][12]

SpiderOak was rated "Awesome" by MacLife magazine in 2009[13] and also was made an Editor's Choice by Computer Shopper magazine in May 2009.[14] In a July 2014 interview, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden recommended SpiderOak over Dropbox, citing its better protection against government surveillance.[6]

History

SpiderOak was founded in 2007 by Ethan Oberman and Alan Fairless as a 'zero-knowledge' private backup program.[15] In 2013, SpiderOak began developing Crypton, "a JavaScript framework for building applications where the server doesn't know the contents it's storing on behalf of users."[16] Crypton is an Open Source project allowing developers to easily add encryption security to mobile applications. [16]


Main features

  • All data accessible in one de-duplicated location
  • Configurable multi-platform synchronization
  • Preserve all historical versions and deleted files
  • Share folders in web ShareRooms with RSS notifications[3]
  • Retrieve files from any internet-connected device
  • Claimed "zero-knowledge" data encryption if you *only* use the desktop client, that is, no sharing, web-access, or mobile access.[17] This claim, however, cannot be confirmed due to the client being closed source.[18]
  • Unlimited devices[19]
  • A layered approach to encryption, using a combination of 2048-bit RSA and 256-bit AES.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "SpiderOak Service Agreement". SpiderOak. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  2. ^ SpiderOak. "Spideroak Service Description". SpiderOak. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  3. ^ a b "SpiderOak Review: Cloud Storage reviews at". Nextadvisor.com. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  4. ^ a b "Spideroak: Engineering Matters". SpiderOak. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  5. ^ "Why isn't SpiderOak open source yet? When will it be?".
  6. ^ a b Yadron, Danny; MacMillan, Douglas (2014-07-14). "Snowden Says Drop Dropbox, Use SpiderOak". WSJ.com Digits. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  7. ^ "SpiderOak Grows Enterprise Revenue 300%, Doubles Headcount". SpiderOak. December 10, 2013.
  8. ^ "Chris Cooley shares how SpiderOak's distributed team works". Silicon Prairie News. August 29, 2014.
  9. ^ "SpiderOak: Dropbox for the security obsessive". The chief difference between SpiderOak and its competitors for the security and privacy-conscious is in how the services treat user data.
  10. ^ Carla Schroder (2009-01-22). "Spideroak: Secure Offsite Backups for Linux". LinuxPlanet. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  11. ^ "Pricing". SpiderOak.
  12. ^ "Refer-a-Friend". SpiderOak.
  13. ^ Susie Ochs (2009-06-11). "Online Storage Battle: Which Cloud Back-Up Service Reigns Supreme?". MacLife. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  14. ^ Haley, Fiona (2009-05-05). "SpiderOak 3.0 Review". Computer Shopper.
  15. ^ "About SpiderOak".
  16. ^ a b "About Crypton". Cite error: The named reference "Crypton" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ "How do I use the SpiderOak Web API?". SpiderOak FAQs. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  18. ^ "SpiderOak to Become OSS & More: What to Expect From Us in 2014 (PART I)". The Spideroak Blog. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Spideroak: Free Online Backup, File and Folder Sync, Share & Storage for Windows, Mac, and Linux - SpiderOak.com". SpiderOak. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
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