15 November 2011

Trend Micro has updated its online back-up and storage service, adding a European datacentre for companies that have to comply with data protection laws in the region.

The SafeSync service could be likened to Apple's iCloud or Dropbox but is targeted at businesses and has a syncing function that allows several users to work on the same piece of data.

Trend Micro said that SafeSync customers' data will now be kept in European datacentres located in Germany at all times so that businesses automatically comply with European privacy legislation. SafeSync's datacentres were previously in the US.

Mick Paddington, Trend Micro's EMEA product marketing manager, said that the new release i9s about providing accessibility and security.

"Change is often a risky prospect for small and medium businesses, and moving to the cloud is no exception," he said.

"It would put their mind at rest if they knew that they could access and share their data whenever they need it, via whatever devices their people happen to be using, but also trust that it will remain safe."

SafeSync was launched in May and is aimed at companies with 10 to 20 employees. It is based on technology that Trend Micro purchased through its acquisition of Leeds-based cloud storage firm Humyo in June 2010.

The company launched a consumer version of SafeSync in September 2010.

Trend Micro said that any customers experiencing poor service availability with SafeSync 5.0 will now be entitled to all their money back under a new service level agreement.

Additionally, SafeSync 5.0 contains usability enhancements on previous editions. The service is easier to navigate with simpler settings and options, and users can drag and drop files into a new SafeSync folder to synchronise them with the cloud immediately.

The folder is available on any device where the SafeSync client or mobile app has been installed.

The SafeSync synchronisation client also now supports Android and Apple iOS operating systems.

As with the last release of SafeSync, all customer data stored using the service is secured using Trend Micro's SecureCloud encryption software.

Each user of SafeSync is issued with 50GB of storage, which is allocated to the company's centralised storage pool.

SafeSync 5.0 is available immediately in the UK and existing users will be upgraded at the end of November.

Pricing starts at £56 per user per year and adjusts down with volume licensing.

Threat News