FilesAnywhere, which was launched in 1999 by Officeware Corporation, is among the first cloud solutions to be ever developed.
Back when it was founded, people were not cloud-savvy as they are today. Furthermore, the access to the internet was only to desktop computers, which were owned by a few people.
FilesAnywhere has managed to stay relevant over the last one and a half decade by focusing on the ever-changing cloud needs of consumers.
FilesAnywhere: Pros & Cons
As much as we're discussing the features of FilesAnywhere, it is also important to look at its good side and bad sides. Consumers need to know its pros and cons before they decide on whether to purchase it or not. Highlighted below are some of its pros and cons.
PROS
CONS
FilesAnywhere
FilesAnywhere Review – What is it?
Officeware Corporation, the parent company of FilesAnywhere, is a software design and consulting firm situated in Dallas, TX. The company is known for its diverse file sharing and remote file storage services that target both individuals and corporations.
With its headquarters in Bedford, TX, FilesAnywhere is Officeware's most successful cloud-based storage service. It gives both consumers and businesses a chance to edit, back up, sync, share and collaborate on data.
FilesAnywhere offers personal, professional and enterprise cloud-based storage solutions. These packages range from 1GB to over 500GB in storage capacity. Corporate customers can also seek the service for private sites with dedicated servers and customized branding.
FilesAnywhere's team of support representatives and engineers are always available to respond to customer queries on a 24/7 basis.
Key Features
One reason why FilesAnywhere succeeds at staying relevant over the years is its multi-feature cloud service. FilesAnywhere understands that consumers want lots of customizable options when seeking cloud-based storage and sharing solutions. Key features of the cloud service are discussed below in detail.
Multiple Views
Consumers pay attention to the user interface of cloud-based storage services. Most of them expect the service to offer different views depending on the files they are viewing. With FilesAnywhere, ListView is the predominant view option on FilesAnywhere.
This view allows files or folders to be arranged in a list manner. The names of the files may appear in alphabetical, ascending or descending orders based on your preferences. You can even change the ListView to bar graph view or pie chart view.
Multiple File Support
FilesAnywhere is ideal for users who want to make use of several file interactions. The cloud service may also suit your needs if you expect it to offer support for a number of file formats. With FilesAnywhere, you can send files as e-faxes, extract text from image files, add file comments and view the file history log.
You can also create WordPress blog posts instantly, use Adobe Sign to send documents and use Zoho or Google Docs to create office files. You'll also enjoy the convenience of converting videos to MP4 and images/documents to PDFs.
Effective Cloud Solution
Besides offering multiple file support and interactions, FilesAnywhere is an effective cloud solution for generating custom reports. You can rely on it when creating custom file lifecycle rules and restoring file versions that are up to 30 days old.
You'll also find extra plugins to use and manage to create shareable or savable virtual folders. You can use the service when creating email robots and re-indexing your files.
E-forms
For a cloud-based solution that has been used for over fifteen years, FilesAnywhere doesn't compromise on offering customizable and shareable electronic documents. You can create your own e-forms using the FilesAnywhere platform.
The e-forms come with several pre-generated field options for sharing and collecting data. You can also assign the data to metadata tags or export it to Excel graphs.
Photo Editor
FilesAnywhere's web UI features a photo editor that lets users manipulate images of different formats and sizes. The web-based photo editor is available on the FilesAnywhere platform courtesy of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) known as Avery.
Besides the editor, users can also stream video or audio files from the web UI of FilesAnywhere.
Performance
Performance is a critical factor to consider when choosing a cloud-based storage service. FilesAnywhere is fast and consistent when tested on a device that relies on an Internet-connected device. Its average upload speed is 5.06 Mbps while its maximum upload speed is 8.40 Mbps.
Consequently, the maximum download speed of the cloud service is 92.24 Mbps while the average download speed is 50.72 Mbps.
Sharing Options
You can use the FileShare tool available on the FilesAnywhere platform to generate links for sharing your folders and files. For a person to access the shareable folders or files, you need to send them the link generated by the tool.
Once you receive the link, you can download the content. You also have the convenience of customizing the content you wish to share in terms of user views or page set up. In addition to FileShare, there are other sharing tools that FilesAnywhere offers.
Picture Link
Sharing pictures on FilesAnywhere was never easy until the Picture Link tool was developed. Just like FileShare, Picture Link allows you to generate links for the photos you want to share. However, the number of photos you can share at one time is limited to five.
All The Sharing
All The Sharing is an exciting sharing tool you can use when sending e-faxes. You can access it from the web UI of FilesAnywhere. You don't need any technical knowledge to make use of the tool.
Groupshare and Esend
Also known as the Root Directory, Root Dir enables you to use both Groupshare and Esend, which are third-party sharing tools, to send files. Its settings for sharing files can be accessed when you right click on a file. It allows you to send a collaborative folder through Groupshare and a single file through Esend.
FileReceive
FileReceive is a convenient tool for sending different individuals an upload box, which they can use to dump files. You can limit the access of your personal information and set expiration dates and passwords using this tool. FileReceive also allows you to create return buttons and subfolders that are customizable.
256-bit AES Encryption
For security services, FilesAnywhere uses 256-bit AES encryption on all the content hosted on its cloud platform. However, users with personal accounts don't benefit from this security feature since it is limited to the professional users. Both users of the personal and professional accounts get to benefit from the SSL in-transit protection that the cloud service offers.
Mobile Applications
FilesAnywhere can also be accessed via handheld devices that run on both Android and iOS operating systems. The restrictions for accessing the cloud-based storage service is limited on the two mobile platforms.
The Android app can't be used by professional users while the iOS app can be used by the professional users only if they fill their client ID in the login form.
Both apps support local security PIN locks, auto upload using camera roll, search features, and drag-drop movements. The apps support advanced sharing tools such as Groupshare, FileReceive, and FileShare. You can also share content stored on the cloud-based platform to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook using links.
Desktop Applications
Mac and Windows users can access the FilesAnywhere service on a desktop application. The application eliminates the need for them to open their web browsers every time they want to access the service.
However, they need to have a reliable internet connection and an active account for them to enjoy these benefits using the following desktop applications.
CoolBackup
CoolBackup is a desktop application that lets you access the cloud service using either a personal or a professional FilesAnywhere account. It is supported on both Windows and Mac PCs.
Just as its name suggests, CoolBackup is a powerful syncing and backup desktop application. It supports files hosted on FTP servers and other network sources.
CloudSync
Unlike CoolBackup, FilesAnywhere users can only use the CloudSync application with their professional accounts. You need to login to the software program using a client ID that is offered after you purchase a professional cloud storage package.
CloudSync is ideal for syncing files or changing the sync folder location on the cloud. You can also use it to send FileReceive and FileShare links.
Customer Support
The good thing about the customer support team at FilesAnywhere is that they're responsive. They can respond to your phone queries from 7 AM to 7 PM EST. You can also receive the support via email on a 24/7 basis.
Plans and Pricing
FilesAnywhere offers three plans for its cloud services. They include the personal plan, the professional plan (which costs $12) and the enterprise plan (whose price is only available on special request).
You can also request custom plans and pricing by contacting a cloud consultant. Contact details for the consultant are available on the FilesAnywhere website. For the personal account (with only supports one user), you'll enjoy simplified backups, upload tools, sharing tools and over 100 GB of storage.
The professional account can be used by 5 or more individuals. It offers electronic faxing, custom branding, access to the CloudSync desktop app, unlimited file size, user management, and 2TB of storage. The enterprise account, which targets businesses, can support over 50 users. Its features include notifications, reports, 500 outbound faxes, single sign-on and unlimited storage.
How FilesAnywhere Compares to Dropbox and Sharefile
In this review, we decided to compare FilesAnywhere to two other cloud-based storage solutions. The two cloud-based solutions are Dropbox and Sharefile. Discussed below are the comparisons we drew from the two services in terms of how they are similar or different to FilesAnywhere.
Dropbox
Dropbox is an online file hosting service with monthly prices that are low unlike FilesAnywhere, which offers a minimum monthly price for its plans. It is supported on computers that run on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows while FilesAnywhere is only supported on Mac and Windows PCs.
The key features of Dropbox include file sharing, file versioning, tablet compatibility, access to video tutorials and web access. On the other hand, FilesAnywhere doesn't have video tutorials but features file sharing options, automatic backups, file versioning options, FTP access, scheduled backups and tablet compatibility.
You can use your American Express, Diners Club, JCB, Visa or MasterCard to pay for the FilesAnywhere plans. You can also pay using PayPal, Visa, MasterCard or American Express when purchasing a Dropbox plan. Dropbox users only get support from an online forum while FilesAnywhere users get support through phone, email and live chat.
Sharefile
Sharefile is a secure sync, file sharing and content collaboration service that targets both small and large businesses. It offers minimum monthly prices while those of FilesAnywhere stand a little less.
Unlike FilesAnywhere that is supported on only Windows and Mac PCs, Sharefile is supported on Linux, Windows and Mac PCs. Both services boast of diverse file sharing options, file versioning options, FTP access, tablet compatibility, web access, live chat and phone support.
Sharefile doesn't guarantee its users of 24/7 support, scheduled backups, and auto backups. Users can't make payments for Sharefile plans using Visa, MasterCard, JCN, Diners Club and the American Express cards. Sharefile offers its users video tutorials while FilesAnywhere doesn't offer the video tutorials.
Final Word
Though it has been in the cloud-based storage market for more than over 15 years, FilesAnywhere beats other cloud services in terms of price and customer support.
It also stands out from the competition judging from features such as auto backups, scheduled backups, support for diverse payment systems and FTP access. If you are looking for such features for an affordable price, then FilesAnywhere plans may suit your needs.
QUALITY | PRICE | RATINGS |
|---|---|---|
Great | $$ |
Featured Image via Canva.com logo, text and banner added.