BeInSync makes PC-to-PC sync (relatively) easy

Webware gives you the capability to access your personal information from anywhere there's a network connection. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to rely on anonymous server farms--you can also use your own personal computers as online storage. If you use multiple computers, file synchronization tools like Microsoft's FolderShare (which I have relied on for almost two years) remove the need to worry about which PC you last used to work on a file--you synchronize directories across your machines, and every one of them gets everything you do. It's brilliant.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The first file sync tool I tried, before FolderShare, was BeInSync 1.0. I dumped it quickly, though, since it moved files around and made changes to directory structures. The complaints of one befuddled journalist (and many other users) haven't dissuaded the team from plugging away, though, and today they're rolling out BeInSync version 2.5, with a host of thoughtful and useful new features. And no more shuffling of files on your hard drive.

Getting file sync set up between two or more computers is conceptually complex. BeInSync does a decent job of clarifying things, but I did get lost for a few minutes when I first started working with the product. Once running, I found the interface is better and more clear than FolderShare's. There's an actual desktop user interface that you use to control your shares. Foldershare's is all browser-based, and old-school at that--very page-oriented.

BeInSync has a slightly better feature set. Both systems let you synchronize folders on PCs that you own and also share folders with others. BeInSync gives you access control, though: You can specify which users can only read files, and allow others read/write/delete access. The system is fast. If there's a direct LAN connection between two computers, BeInSync will use it at full speed (I transferred a 20MB file in four seconds). In my experience, FolderShare is slower. I was told you can also sync directories on your PC to another drive attached to the PC, which would be useful for backups or for keeping a USB thumb drive always up to date; I couldn't find this feature in my tests, though.

You can enable access to your PC's files form the Web (FolderShare also does this). And you can synchronize your Outlook emails and contacts file across PCs. Outlook sync seems to be a bit under-developed, but I have yet to see any tool that does a good job with this (aside from Exchange itself).

I still like FolderShare, but BeInSync has a few more tricks up its sleeve and it's easier to control. FolderShare seems to be stuck in limbo at Microsoft; PC-to-PC synchronization was to be built into Vista but was pulled from the operating system in June.

Future plans from BeInSync: Possibly a hosted backup service (sync is a great way to back up PCs), and, hopefully, deeper integration with online storage companies like Box.net.

There's a free version of the product that, after 30 days, limits the number of files you can synchronize per day. The paid version, $60 per year, allows unlimited sync on all the PCs you own.

[bluiee]

We have been using BeInSync for more than one year now with a business account with more than 10 users. Its been a great tool - with however a few negative sides to consider before choosing this software.

BeInSync does not have version control and the backup/restore function is very slow. I have many times given up doing a restore as it takes forever if Im at all sucessfull. The worst we experience is that when adding files or creating a new folder it can take forever. BeInSync do have a way around this but only after you contact their support. The worst of it all is the CPU usage. You can limit this to a minimum in their setup but many times it still sucks +50% of your CPU and makes it impossible to use your computer. One of the annoyances is the file conflicts. I dont know why there is allways file conflict and you have to go and solve theese manually. It even happends on files I never touched. They claim to be using peer to peer technology but when getting files they only take one resource even though there might be 5 other computers connected that could speed up the download/sync.

There is also many positive sides of BeInSync including the backup scheduling function but the negative sides is simply too many. Our company will have to reconsider if to continue to use BeInSync.

[bsm007]

I concur with the previous post by bluiee... I have use BeInSync for several months. The conflict resolution is a pain especially when the BIS becomes corrupted, which has happened for me at least 3 times. The application just overwrote my main Outlook PST file with a version 2 months older from another machine. I cannot find a way to recover as it didn't see this as a conflict for some reason. I have utilized support extensively, but overall, the BeInSync application needs much more refinement before I would recommend to anyone. The intent is good to have a sync and backup software bundled, but BIS just doesn't deliver. My feeling is that the acquisition by Phoenix has focused the company away from improving this product which has a grip on critical files that it can make disappear without recovery. I would recommend staying away from this product until there is a better recovery option.

[bluiee]

We had enough now. Suddenly BeInSync took hours to synchronise a file for computers within same LAN. The last two months I had constant CPU load of 50% from BeInSyncServer.exe.

We are now trying Groove which I had some experience with from 4-5 years ago. It looks promising. Only lack of functionality is Backup which is ok. Backup is easy to do and BeInSync's backup was anyway slow when it worked.