Fri, 18 Dec 2009 PresSTORE 3.2 review

We’ve seen many backup and synchronisation solutions – from online services like Dropbox to desktop tools like SugarSync. PresSTORE takes backup and archiving to an entirely different level, with enterprise features that transcend what’s available in the cloud. And though this is a mere point update, the feature changes are pretty significant.

PresSTORE is a truly cross-platform, cross-network solution for file backup and synchronisation, installing as a server process on your chosen machine and controllable through a web interface. It can be set to continuously back up files from target machines, enabling you to mirror important data from any networked station in your organisation, Windows, Mac or Linux.

PresSTORE is modular, with a series of component applications that are enabled according to the licensing options you choose. Our test version was unlimited and fully enabled, including access to Synchronisation, Backup, Archive and PresSTORE’s new-ish Backup2Go – each of which can be licensed individually.

Introduced in version 3.1, Backup2Go has had some significant updates in this upgrade. While it can be used for office workstations, its real selling point is remote access – enabling you to run and configure snapshot backups in a web browser. The key is that the process is initiated client-side, rather than by the main server – giving the remote user a degree of flexibility that’s often missing from industrial-strength backup apps. It can be configured so that individual network users can restore their own data, making PresSTORE a great choice for business backups. New features include De-Duplication, which reduces backup sizes by recognising and only storing links to duplicate files. It’s also Snow Leopard optimised.

While consumer backup tools are confined to external drives or cloud storage, PresSTORE can work with a range of storage types – from tape to any attached disk volume. And backup security is absolutely paramount, with two different kinds of encryption included. It’s a great and stable all-round solution.