Interview with ElephantDrive

Elephants are confident creatures, and so is ElephantDrive about its service (and fish tacos!). That is why it offers free trials for all of its plans as well as a forever-free 2GB plan. The company’s team is full of plans for 2015, with major new updates including the addition of Geo Selection to give users the choice between different secure data storage locations across the globe. Ben Kiblinger and Joti Kang of the ElephantDrive sat down for an interview with us on syncing and backing up with ElephantDrive, more on their upcoming new features and their profound love for fish tacos.

What are your roles on the ElephantDrive team?

We focus both on business development efforts like building strategic partnerships and exploring new marketing channels.

Why should our readers choose ElephantDrive and not another online backup solution?

That’s an easy one. ElephantDrive is simpler to use while providing more robust features, such as sync between multiple devices. But you don’t have to take our word for it, if you check and see what Network Attached Storage makers deliver to their customers for pre-installed cloud backup – it’s ElephantDrive. We’ve quietly become the most popular cloud backup solution for backup storage device companies. Consumers get that same level of power and assurance with their own ElephantDrive account, even if they’re just backing up a single computer.

What makes ElephantDrive’s Digital Force Field enough from the ever-growing privacy and security threats out there?

To start, each ElephantDrive file is encrypted with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) using a 256-bit key before it ever leaves your computer. It’s never decrypted until it is already back on a device to which you restore it. This means that the data you have in your account is encrypted “at rest” on our serves (i.e. if some super-thief were able to break into the highly secure and locked datacenter where the physical disks are stored, yank out the drives, and run away, all the super-thief would have is disks full of encrypted gibberish). We also provide options in terms of which keys are used to encrypt the files. In keeping with best practices, the file and the key with which it was encrypted are stored on separate devices. As an advanced option, ElephantDrive offers end users the ability to use Personal Keys (totally unknown to anyone at ElephantDrive). In other words, users can use a private code that not even ElephantDrive team members can decrypt. Additionally, we provide a layer of security for all communication between ElephantDrive software and servers via a 128-bit SSL channel (the same security used to facilitate online banking). To learn more please visit our FAQ page.

What makes it better to have backing up and syncing combined in one solution?

Economically, ElephantDrive’s full-service cloud back up and syncing solution makes the most sense. Instead of having to separately purchase both a cloud backup and data syncing program, end users have the option of taking advantage of ElephantDrive’s comprehensive platform. Logistically, this makes accessing your work and important data easier. Our cloud enables you to start a project on your desktop at work and finish on your laptop at home by backing up your data automatically. We offer tons of advanced back up options and features to those who like a little more control…but if you prefer a set-it-and-forget service, we have you covered. This replaces the need to lug multiple devices or the need to remotely access them. Instead, you have the simple option of accessing your most current date from the device you are running in the moment.

This document will automatically get backed up to your ElephantDrive account and will instantly sync across all your devices. As you continue to make changes to your document, ElephantDrive will synchronize these updates. This allows you to access your document from any device while continuing to work on it as if you never moved in the first place. Need to collaborate with a colleague or client? Is your file too big to send over email? No problem! Simply click on the file you want to share and a “share link” will be created which you can then cut and paste to your recipient using email, instant messenger, or even Twitter. You can even email directly from our platform. Got multiple files you’re collaborating on? You can put them in one folder and share the entire folder too!

How does backing up Synology to ElephantDrive work?

Our cloud backup for Synology is based on a bedrock of successful integrations with the leading NAS backup solutions (Synology, NETGEAR, QNAP, Drobo, Western Digital, D-Link, Thecus, and Seagate). ElephantDrive runs natively on NAS devices and is optimized for the Synology DSM platform – it can be managed entirely via the web-based tools. This is why NAS makers prefer working with us instead of competitors. The integration allows you to easily back up your data on your Synology NAS device to our secure cloud, enabling fast and affordable separate site protection for your most important files. If you want to configure backup of only specific data, ElephantDrive allows you to backup entire shares or target specific folders and file types too! In addition, our platform offers built-in archiving, versioning, and file sharing. Check our FAQ section for more info.

When may we expect the full Android app to be available?

The Android App that ElephantDrive offers today is fully functional. The reason why it is officially still in “beta” is to collect more feedback from our customers in regard to potential upgrades for the app. I wouldn’t let that deter anyone from using it now. It works great already and we’re listening very closely to our beta customers. We are planning to release an update with additional features for our Android App by the end of this quarter (Q1 2015).

What does ElephantDrive have in store for 2015?

ElephantDrive hit the ground running in 2015 and is close to launching a multitude of new and improved features. Later this year, when a new or existing user signs up for an ElephantDrive account, they will be able choose geographically where they physically want their data stored. What does this mean for users? Let’s say for regulatory or privacy concerns you only want your data stored within a specific country or region (e.g. EU, Asia, Australia, etc). With our new “Geo Selection” you will have the option to control where your data is stored.

We will also be releasing new file sharing options that give our users more granular options. Don’t want your girlfriend’s mother’s best friend making changes to your most important files? We don’t either. Now, when you share a file in your “Everywhere” folder, you can assign specific permissions to modify/update files based on their user privilege. Keep yourself in the loop with all of ElephantDrive’s most recent updates by visiting our blog.