The online backup landscape is teeming with so many service providers these days that often times, it's hard to keep track of which offers what. Jungle Disc is unique from the many other backup solutions in that it serves as the "middle man" between computer users and the actual storage providers. Find out more about this backup service in this Jungle Disc review.
Jungle Disc is an online backup service with a unique approach - instead of being a "full-service" operation,
Jungle Disc is the "middle-man". It offers consumers the desktop software, doesn't actually store the data for you. Instead, Amazon S3 or Rackspace gets the job done. A closer look at Jungle Disc reveals some of its advantages and downsides to assist you in deciding if Jungle Disc is right for you.
Service Features
Features-wise, Jungle Disc is as packed as many popular online backup services today. With this solution you can schedule automatic backups, access files remotely, share files, retrieve past file versions, and sync data across multiple devices. The restoring process can also be easy to use, an important feature when you experience a computer failure.
The available options make it possible to create a user-specific backup service. There are various choices for what, when, and where to backup, as well as other settings. However, all of these options can be overwhelming for someone that is a newbie to online backup services.
A key feature of Jungle Disc is the RSS feed reports. Using a private RSS feed that provides details for the backup, subscribers can keep track of the activity. The feed is updated anytime a backup is completed or once a day. This makes it easy to know whether a backup was a success or failure without having to check the service every so often.
Pros and Cons
While it has many good features, Jungle Disc also has its share of drawbacks. Its benefits include support for Windows, Mac, and Linux, partnership with reliable storage services Amazon and Rackspace, robust features, and high grade security. What makes the service less-than-ideal is the complicated pricing scheme, lack of phone/live chat support, and complex options.
Pricing
The pricing of Jungle Disc is different from other online backup services. Instead of having one payment a month, you have two. The reason is because you pay Jungle Disc for using their program to backup your data and you pay Amazon of Rackspace for storing your data. When you add up both amounts however, it should more or less equal the cost of other backup services, so it's really more a matter of how you are billed.
Jungle Disc offers personal plans for $2 and $3 per month, along with business plans for $4 and $5 per month. When you add up these monthly fees to Amazon or Rackspace's storage charges of $0.15 per gigabyte per month, the costs with Jungle Disc are actually quite reasonable considering you get a feature-packed backup solution. It's also worth mentioning that there is no limit to the storage you can use, although you only pay for the actual space utilized.
Is Jungle Disc the Best for You?
For those who already have an idea of how online backup services work and what they offer, Jungle Disc is a good option. If you are looking for a service that you can "tweak" to fit your exact needs and wants, then you may not need to look any farther. However, it lacks the simplicity of other online backup services, making it difficult for the average home user to grasp and operate.
