CloudHQ

cloudHQ
Initial release	2011
Available in	English
Alexa rank	95,366 (globally)^[1]
Website	www.cloudhq.net

cloudHQ is a cloud provider of data synchronization and integration between multiple cloud services.^[2] The company was founded in 2011 by current CEO Senad Dizdar and Selim Dizdar.^[3]

The cloudHQ service uses automatic replication to copy data from one cloud service to another. The objective of cloudHQ is to provide data synchronization to companies for several purposes:

Sharing of files and data across multiple platforms
Integration between cloud services that do not offer integration
Create and maintain a centralized database of data from multiple cloud services
Project collaboration across multiple platforms
Backup of data to prevent data loss

Compatibility

cloudHQ is a cloud service that is compatible with the following cloud apps: Google Drive, Microsoft Outlook 365, Amazon S3, Egnyte, Amazon Cloud Drive, Microsoft OneNote, Box.com, Evernote, Dropbox, Inc, Basecamp Classic, SugarSync, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Microsoft Sharepoint, and Yandex.^[4]

Cloud Integration

One of the major drawbacks for company leaders when making the decision to migrate to the cloud is the lack of cloud integration.^[5] The cloudHQ service provides integration and the ability to move data in an efficient manner between multiple cloud services.^[6] It also allows companies to create a centralized database of data replicated from multiple cloud services for organization and simple searching.^[7]

This is an example of how cloudHQ works:

Company ABC Tech creates a policy allowing employees to use these cloud services:
* Evernote for quick notes, dictation, etc.
* Google Drive for document management
* Basecamp for project management
* Box for storage and secure file sharing
Employees use these cloud apps in their day-to-day activities. Problem: This causes the distribution of company data to be spread across multiple services that don't communicate with one another.
Company ABC Tech decides to use cloudHQ's cloud integration services to create a centralized database of information gathered from multiple cloud services. Company ABC Tech sets up three sync pairs through cloudHQ:
* Evernote to Box
* Google Drive to Box
* Basecamp to Box
All (or some) notes/files that the employees created and stored on Evernote, are instantly replicated to specified folders in Box. Any documents or other files created and uploaded via Google Drive will be instantly replicated to specified folders in Box. And all project files from Basecamp will be automatically replicated to Box as well.
This solution creates a centralized database of all cloud data from multiple cloud services, which is easily searchable, and organizable by creating specific folders.

Automatic Replication

The cloudHQ service runs automatically, constantly monitoring the user-specified cloud account for changes. When a new file is added, the file is instantly replicated to the secondary cloud account. All revisions made to existing files are also instantly replicated to the secondary cloud account.

One-way or two-way sync

When a sync pair is created in the cloudHQ service, users are given the option to choose between one-way sync or two-way sync.^[8]

One-way sync: Replication will occur from one main cloud service to a secondary account, but if files are added or revised in the secondary account, the changes will not be reflected back to the original account.

Two-way sync: All file additions and revisions made in the main account will be replicated to the secondary account. All file additions and revisions made in the secondary account will be replicated back to the main account. This creates an exact copy of data in both cloud accounts.^[9]

Collaboration

cloudHQ allows users to collaborate on files across multiple cloud platforms. For instance, if employees are working on files in SkyDrive, but they need to collaborate on them in Google Drive because it allows more users to simultaneously make revisions, cloudHQ makes this happen by replicating the files from SkyDrive to Google Drive where multiple users can collaborate on the files.

Data loss protection and backup

cloudHQ protects against data loss by its replication of data to a backup cloud account. As data loss incidents have steadily risen in recent years^[10] so have the costs of data loss incidents.^[11]

The cloudHQ backup service works by creating sync pairs between two cloud accounts. These cloud accounts can be through different services or the same service. For instance, data stored in Dropbox can be backed up to Box (or other cloud services), or it can be backed up to a separate Dropbox account. For security purposes, it is recommended that the secondary account does not use the same login authentication values as any other company account.

Here is an example of how cloudHQ works to prevent data loss:

A company uses Dropbox as their main cloud provider. They decide to use Box as a backup account.
The company sets up a one-way sync pair though cloudHQ. This enables all files (or just specific files and folders) to be automatically replicated to the Box account.
As employees create, upload or revise files in the Dropbox account, all of these files and changes will be automatically and instantly replicated to the Box account.
If a data loss incident happens in the Dropbox account, employees simply switch the Box account and continue working uninterrupted, which keeps downtime to a minimum. Restoration of files from Box back to Dropbox is simple and fast process.
The company resumes its normal activities with no loss of data, money or productivity.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/29/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.