HiDrive may be fairly familiar to those of you living overseas, as their service has been available for a while now. Now it is available here in the states and in Canada. HiDrive is brought to the public by a Berlin based company. Anyone that knows how strict German Privacy laws are know that they take privacy pretty darn seriously. The data centers have security measures in place that I put up there with off shore bank accounts. So you know your information is safe. If you are a nut about how safe your files are, you will also be happy to know that you can set up your account with encrypted connections for files for storage and retrieval.
STRATO AG has put some fairly extensive work into not only security of your files, but also the availability of them. If in the event of a power outage they had multiple diesel generators from various locations that will switch on to keep the servers up and running. If that isn’t enough they have back up battery supplies connected as well. To kick it up a notch, your files aren’t house in one specific hard drive. They spread your files out over many hard drives to ensure that your files are safe, and accessible in the case of a hard drive failure. They have really put a whole new meaning into secured cloud storage.
All you need to do to get your free 5GB of storage is visit their website at free-hidrive.com. Sign up real quick and you are off and running. 5GB’s might not be enough for you, or your business though. HiDrive has you covered, you can up your data amount for a monthly fee. You can pick up 100GB for $12.78 or 500GB for 38.60. Each move up in available data space also offers more features and functionality.
- Access your files any time any where
- Download all standard file formats
- Access your files through and encrypted connection
- Stream large files such as movies
- Email large files up to 25MB in any file format
- Create and share links with your friends or family members
The Android app, as well as iOS and WP7 app are all available for free in their respective app markets. This is their first venture into mobile app support, so you can expect a couple of hick ups here and there. After speaking with STRATO at CES they seem like a very dedicated and genuine company. Even if they initial app has a few issues, I am confident they will work them out as soon as possible. The online access is clean and really easy to navigate. They offer the same easy access to your storage and files through a protocol called WebDAV. On the online account just go to settings and connect your PC to your HiDrive account. This lets you access everything as if it was a local hard drive on your PC, much like Dropbox does.
It is hard to say ‘no’ to the 5GB of free storage and the attention to security that is offered by STRATO through HiDrive. If nothing else I think it is worth your time to give it try, it is free after all. Head over to free-hidrive.com to set up your account real quick. Be sure to also install the app to your Android device. As usual you can find the download information below. Simply click or scan the QR code.
Application: HiDrive
Developer:Â STRATO AG
Cost:Â FREE
New Cloud Service HiDrive Free – Online Storage for Everyone – Launches in the U.S.
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HiDrive Free Offers Users Five Gigabytes of Free Cloud-based Storage
AUSTIN, TX – January 18, 2012 – HiDrive Free, a cloud-based service from STRATO, one of Europe’s top web hosts, launched in the U.S. market today, offering users five gigabytes (GB) of free online storage. With HiDrive Free, users can back up their data at a central location, as well as access and share it from any Internet-enabled device in a safe and secure environment. Users can sign up for a HiDrive Free account at no cost to start storing and sharing at www.free-hidrive.com.
“With HiDrive Free, a new online storage opportunity enters the cloud from which users benefit from plenty of storage space to save important documents, holiday pictures or music collections. In short, everything of value that should not get lost. And the best thing is – it’s free,†said Damian Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of STRATO. “Normally, data is bound to the medium on which it is stored. But anyone who uses HiDrive Free for storing data can access it anytime and anywhere – at home, at work, or on the move via a mobile device.â€
Data stored with HiDrive Free can be accessed via a web browser or through the HiDrive App, which is available for Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone 7 devices. The HiDrive Free service can also be mounted on to a user’s computer like a local drive and supports Microsoft Windows®, Mac and Linux. HiDrive Free employs strict safety measures, where data is stored in STRATO’s certified and secure data center in Germany which is governed by German data privacy law – one of the strictest in the world in terms of data protection.
With five GB of free storage, HiDrive Free has plenty of space for photos, documents, music and movies. Additionally, HiDrive Free includes the option for sharing data; users can easily create and send links to friends, family and colleagues. To stay up-to-date with the latest news about HiDrive Free, visit, like and follow the company via your favorite social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and/or on the company blog at www.free-hidrive.com/blog.
Pricing and Availability
HiDrive Free is available in the U.S. market today and signing up for an account is easy and free of advertising, even in the free package. New users simply visit www.free-hidrive.com and enter basic information including email address, username and password. If users want more storage space, additional sharing features, and ways to access their HiDrive account, premium packages are also available, ranging from 100 up to 500 GB of storage space. HiDrive 100 costs approximately $13 per month* and HiDrive 500 is priced at approximately $40 per month*. Premium packages offer users more sharing options including file upload via email or web form and additional protocols like SMB/CIFS and rsync for professional use.
Notes to Editors:
*prices charged in EUR: HiDrive 100 € 9.90 per month, HiDrive 500 € 29.90 per month, daily exchange rate applies, VAT included, three month contract period, no set-up fee.
About HiDrive Free
HiDrive Free is a new cloud storage service. It offers enough space for all your important files, stores them in a safe place and offers plenty of sharing options. And it’s free. HiDrive Free is a service by STRATO, based in Berlin, Germany, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. More information can be found at www.free-hidrive.com.
