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Storage startup Calamu Wednesday exited stealth with $2.4 million in seed funding and a plan to allow data to be stored in such a way that it said makes the data immune to ransomware attacks and also provides self-healing should an attack happen.

The Calamu Protect technology is a scalable and automated data protection platform that protects data at rest, said Paul Lewis, co-founder and CEO of the Clinton, N.J.-based storage startup.

Lewis told CRN that Calamus use of the phrase immune from ransomware is a very strong statement.

[Related: The 20 Coolest Data Protection Companies: The 2020 Storage 100]

Its something we take seriously, he said. We dont stop attacks. We just make sure nothing happens to the data by providing self-healing and redundancy. Were protecting the data at the data level and not using traditional security approaches.

Calamu Protect actually destroys the original copy of the data, breaking it up into multiple parts that are stored on separate public clouds, making the data unreadable to unauthorized users. The original file is replaced during the backup process with a .cala file that can pull together the individual parts for a restore, Lewis said.

We destroy the data while giving the owner the ability to re-create the data, he said. We push the data into a virtual safe data harbor. It doesnt exist in any location. Instead, it exists as fragments in multiple locations across multiple cloud providers.

The fragments, which Calamu suggests should number no more than three, is striped across the different cloud providers so that even if one provider goes down, all the data is still available, Lewis said.

And we purge the original data files, he said. We want to be immune to data breaches, and so the original data cant be kept.

In the case of a ransomware attack or a complete outage of one of the cloud providers, Calamu Protect detects the issue and ensures 100 percent uptime by abandoning the compromised location and repopulating the data to another location, Lewis said.

And in case of an on-prem ransomware attack, the user just needs to get a new laptop and log in, and the complete system is rebuilt on the new laptop in under one minute, he said. We dont restore the .cala files. We rebuild the .cala files.

Should Calamu be unavailable, for example in case of an acquisition, the data can still be pulled down, Lewis said.

To pull the data down, you just need the Calamu engine, he said. Customers can always get their data. Calamu doesnt see the data.

Calamu Protect also safeguards against attacks by rogue users in the company that owns the data, Lewis said.

The data is enterprise-controlled, he said. If the person who puts the data up leaves, the enterprise can get the data back. To disrupt the data from within would take multiple people inside the company working in collaboration with the data creator.

Calamu Protect ensures there is redundancy in data, and so it eliminates the need to do backups for disaster recovery, although trying to get businesses to not worry about disaster recovery is difficult, Lewis said.

The world is not ready yet, he said. So businesses will continue to run Calamu with their own backup software because theres nothing new for end users to learn.

Businesses that keep their data protection software will back up the data to a .cala file to process, Lewis said. Recovering the data through the data protection software will require an API so the two applications can talk with each other. Calamu is now testing APIs with Cloud Daddy and other unnamed companies, he said.

Calamu is in beta testing with several businesses and with a handful of solution providers, Lewis said. He expects the company will be 100 percent channel-focused.

Were heading towards an MSP play, he said. There will be service revenue opportunities. Calamu doesnt have its own cloud, so the channel will set configuration.

Among the investors in the $2.4 million seed round are some of Calamus new members of its board of directors, including Lou Ryan, a cybersecurity entrepreneur and former chairman and CEO of Edgewave, and John Stewart, former Cisco Systems senior vice president and chief security and trust officer.

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Calamu Exits Stealth With 'Ransomware-Immune' Storage Platform And An Eye On The Channel - CRN

Cloud Storage has made maintaining and storing the data simple. In the process, it saves you the cost of buying multiple Hard Drives and other physical storage devices. Cloud computing, in general, can be defined as a system to store data on cloud servers instead of physical devices.

There are notable services in the tech industry such as Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. In this article, we are putting neutral facts of Google Drive and OneDrive, to help you in making your decision.

Cloud Storage gives you advantages over the local server as you can reach your data anytime, anywhere, and on any device. But it is necessary to know the suitable one for you.

Google Drive and OneDrive, for the most part, offer you the same set of features but in a different manner so lets get to know the difference based on certain parameters. These are:

Lets start with the first aspect.

When we compare OneDrive and Google Drive, speed enthusiasts may find Google drive a bit inferior. As OneDrive uses a superior file syncing technology called Block Level Copying. It breaks files into smaller packages, so instead of the entire file, its fragmented packages get uploaded. Therefore, the time required for syncing is less.

On the other hand, Google Drive does basic syncing and is a little inferior to OneDrive. However, if you are an Android user, you can look past its slow speed because of the ease-of-syncing.

If you are already using the Microsoft Productivity suite, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word then syncing the file is easier in OneDrive as compared to that in Google Drive.

On the other hand, if you are using Google WorkPlace productivity suite such as Docs, Sheets, Slides then Google Drive is what you will find better.

However, if you are not able to decide whether to go for Google Workplace suite or Microsoft 365 set of applications, check out this comparative study.

Google Drive and OneDrive, for the most part, offer the same syncing facilities. You can easily sync files on the cloud with simple steps on both Google Drive and OneDrive. These files are easily accessible. So, your decision in this parameter will boil down to your priorities, whether you like speed or ease-of-syncing, whether you like Google Workplace or Microsoft 365.

When we compare the free storage space availability, you get 5 GB of free storage on OneDrive, whereas, Google One Drive offers you 15 GB free storage space. So when it comes to free storage space availability, Google Drive offers you more space to store your data including files, media, and especially photos.

Therefore, if you are not going to buy their respective subscription, Google Drive is a straightaway winner, just because of the fact that it has more storage.

For most users, Paid Storage will be the deciding factor. So, let us talk about that.

In the case of OneDrive, you will get two categories, For Home and For Business. If you want to buy OneDrive for your home or personal use then you have to choose between four tiers, they are:

However, plans change if you are planning to buy OneDrive for your business. They are:

On the other hand, Google streamlines everything. You will get 15 GB of free storage and can upgrade to paid plans. The prices start from $2 (for 100 GB) and $ 9 (for 2 TB and comes with added Google Benefits.

So, the decision is up to you.

You can not only use Cloud Storage as a storage facility but you can also take advantage of many Productivity apps with your colleagues. Google Drive has browser-based apps for collaboration such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides that can be edited online as well as offline.

But if you are familiar with OneDrives Productivity apps that include PowerPoint, Excel, and Word then it may be easier for you to work on OneDrive. OneDrive also has a mobile app, just like Google Drive, to manage your data, whenever and wherever you want. But, the problem with OneDrive is that it does not integrate third-party applications.

However, in both cases, you can share your work with your colleagues. So, no winner here.

Both the users of Google Drive and OneDriev will agree on this one need Right to privacy. So when we talk about Privacy, Google is notoriously found guilty of going through your data for targeted advertisements.

On the other hand, Microsoft also has the right to scan your informational data to prevent objectional data from entering but if you are a person who wants their privacy to be protected at any cost then OneDrive is a better choice.

When using Google Drive, you can back-up your contact list and calendar events along with your phones media with a single toggle key.

In comparison to Google Drive, OneDrive has some limitations as you can only back-up your devices media such as video and photos. But you can have more power over the medias quality.

Read: Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace.

Both OneDrive and Google Drive are good Cloud services. However, if you are in a large business then OneDrive is better because of its fast upload, more storage, and security, but for everyone else, Google Drive is a better option.

Another thing you need to make sure of before going for either of them, which productivity suite you use. For Google Workplace users, Google Drive is better, for Microsoft 365 users, OneDrive is perfect.

Hopefully, this has helped in making your decision.

Read Next: Google Drive vs Dropbox.

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OneDrive vs Google Drive - Which is the better Cloud Service? - TWCN Tech News

Sharing a Virtual Surveyor project externally to a collaborative team space.

Aarschot, Belgium, 6 April 2021 Virtual Surveyor has introduced Dropbox integration in Version 8.0 of its popular drone surveying software. This means Virtual Surveyor users can now access their project files from anywhere while enjoying easy and affordable collaboration with team members and file sharing with external clients even in low-bandwidth situations.

Dropbox integration gives Virtual Surveyor users the best of both worlds the advantages of desktop software combined with cloud storage and accesswithout losing control of their data, said Tom Op t Eyndt, Virtual Surveyor CEO.

Virtual Surveyor is a powerful surveying software that bridges the gap between drone photogrammetric processing applications and engineering design packages, enabling surveyors to derive topographic information from drone data needed by engineers for construction, mining, and excavation projects. The software presents an interactive onscreen environment with drone orthophotos, digital surface models (DSMs), and/or LiDAR point clouds where users generate CAD models, create cut-and-fill maps, and calculate volume reports.

Some drone surveyors are spending tens of thousands of dollars or euros to put their data in cloud mapping applications that give them a little bit more than simple viewing functionality, said Op t Eyndt. And those applications lock them into using that specific software product forever to maintain access to their files.

With prices starting at 10 dollars/euros per month, Dropbox is a more cost-effective and scalable solution. More importantly, Dropbox is a stand-alone cloud service which allows Virtual Surveyor users (even on the free Valley plan) to maintain complete control over their data. Project files remain stored in the cloud as long as users keep their Dropbox accounteven if they stop using Virtual Surveyor.

Affordable, cloud-based Dropbox technology offers four important benefits to Virtual Surveyor users:

Access Anywhere For users with up-to-date Virtual Surveyor cloud licenses, project files follow them and may be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection simply by logging into the users software account. Dropbox downloads just the project files needed to run specific Virtual Surveyor functions. Project files are always synced with the cloud, and Dropbox automatically clears space on the hard drive by moving unused files to the cloud.

Collaborate in Teams Team folders can be created to centralize files and allow collaboration across the enterprise. Virtual Surveyor users can set up a Team folder with preferred preferences to organize and structure data sets. The data owner can restrict access to specific files and assign certain rights, such as view-only or edit, to individual users or groups of users. Virtual Surveyor ensures only one user at a time can edit content to avoid editing conflicts through the newly created View-only mode.

Share Externally Virtual Surveyor projects can be shared with clients or external team members who may be granted full editing or view-only rights, which can be revoked at any time. The Virtual Surveyor user maintains control over the files and data.

Low-Bandwidth Environments Even in situations with poor-quality Internet connections, such as on the clients job site, Virtual Surveyor users experience the power of their desktop software while knowing their files are in sync. Dropbox makes sure copies of the orthophoto and elevation model are available locally on the computer while synchronizing changes to project files in the cloud.

In addition, Virtual Surveyor users will experience the common cloud storage benefits provided by Dropbox: Automatic File Backup and File Version Control. Files are never accidentally deleted or written over, and previous versions may be retrieved at any time.

The new Dropbox functionality is included in the Virtual Surveyor Ridge and Peak editions, as well as the free Valley package. Current subscribers to Virtual Surveyor will see their software being updated to Version 8.0 automatically. To start a free 14-day trial of Virtual Surveyor and to view details of the three pricing plans, visit http://www.virtual-surveyor.com.

About Virtual SurveyorVirtual Surveyor software enables professional surveyors to generate accurate topographic end products from drone imagery five times faster than traditional field work. Now used in 68 countries, Virtual Surveyor allows surveyors to topographic information from drone data in very short timeframes. In a typical application, the suite takes the orthophotos and digital surface models (DSM) extracted from UAV imagery with photogrammetric software like Pix4D, Metashape or DJI Terra and generates an interactive virtual environment onscreen where surveyors can select the survey points and breaklines that define topography. Standard topographic outputs from the Virtual Surveyor software are Surfaces or TINs (Triangular Irregular Network), Contours, Line Surveys and Cut-and-Fill Maps. As such, Virtual Surveyor bridges the gap between UAV photogrammetric processing software and engineering design packages.

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04.06.2021 Virtual Surveyor Introduces Dropbox Integration for Easy Collaboration and File Access from Anywhere - Amerisurv