Symform

Author: Jenna Vasquez

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The Good

• Storage
• Security
• Features

Symform is a really unique idea, and the first to really harness the power of the internet, and unused storage on the world's computers. With this P2P cloud storage service comes a few great features, like the idea that if users contribute a certain amount of local storage (within Symform's requirements) they can get half of that back in cloud storage, which is more secure and safe than traditional local storage. Symform also offers additional cloud storage, if your contribution doesn't meet your needs, at pretty reasonable prices, albeit a little higher than most of the bigger cloud storage companies. But, they do offer a free 10 GB for their users, which is the highest free amount we've seen over all of the cloud storage companies. For their security, they add a "50% redundancy to all blocks of data (part of a larger file) before they are distributed globally around the network." This means that your data is incredibly safe, even with this newer technology. They also encrypt the data using a 256-bit AES and their patented technology RAID-96. They have some great additional features, like auto-backup and the ability to synchronize all of your devices, and the ability to connect an unlimited number of devices to said infrastructure.

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The Bad

• Requirements

Symform is a little bit of an odd duck in the cloud storage world, and if you don't have any local storage that meets their requirements it may not be the best option for you. For their requirements, they need the following (which may not work for a lot of people):

1. Always-on, business class Internet connection with no transfer limits and sufficient bandwidth:
   • Minimum bandwidth of 512Kbps Up and 1Mbps Down. Test yours at www.speedtest.net.
   • Symform requires 1Mbps Up and 2Mbps Down for each 1 TB contributed.
2. Excess local disk space you can provision to Symform. Earn 1 GB for every 2 GB contributed.
3. For users who wish to contribute more than 3 TB from a single device, the following additional minimum specifications are recommended in order to maintain contribution health:
   • Quad-core processor
   • 4 GB RAM
   • 7200 RPM drives
   • RAID 5 or 6 array

If you need to buy simple cloud storage, their prices are a little higher than some of the bigger names, like DropBox or Amazon's new cloud storage.

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The Bottom Line

Overall, Symform is a really unique company that strives to offer great prices for safe cloud storage, with a very unique way of going about it. For the person that needs less than 10 MB, Symform is a great company to trust with your data. For the person that needs more than 10 MB, but doesn't meet the specifications for contribution, this may not be the best option for you. And lastly, for someone who has local storage and wants something a little safer, Symform may be the perfect cloud storage company for you. We would recommend Symform overall.