Syncura is a peer-to-peer file sharing application that enables virtual teams, classrooms or other groups of people to keep their files in synch by connecting their computers through a secure, invitation-only PC software.
Syncura instantly synchronizes files updated by your team to your local hard drive and also downloads any changes your teammates made while you were offline.
Syncura is a free application that requires a download and works only with Windows OS. Anyone with Internet access and PC can utilize Syncura to share files within his selected network of contacts.
Here the details:
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Syncura displays a very user-friendly interface, which completely integrates with Windows Explorer and provides effortless navigation within your local hard drive.
Shared folders can be located anywhere on your local drive; they appear in the right column of Syncura's window, whereas the left column displays information on your work groups and the basic commands you can use to change the application settings.
Users can set up as many teams as they wish, thus making possible to share multiple folders and work on different projects through the same network.
Syncura allows you to edit your documents even if you are not online. Once you connect to the Internet, Syncura will check to see if any other users have changed it while you were offline, and if not, the file will be synchronized with your team.
Through Syncura, you can easily get real-time information on the status of each file. Shared files have overlay icons in the bottom right corner of the file icon that displays if the file is the latest version, is checked out for exclusive editing by a colleague, or is currently being downloaded.
If you will be editing a document for a long period of time, or know that you need to edit while you will be offline and don't want anyone else to change it, you can check it out for exclusive editing. No one else will be allowed to make a change to the document while you have it checked out.
If another user has changed a shared file, you will be notified and your file will be renamed to include "User's copy" on the end of the filename, and the latest version of the file will be downloaded.
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With Syncura, you are enabled to work with files and folders on your computer as if you were operating directly on a network server; therefore there is no need to wait for a document to be downloaded from a server just to view or edit it. Files are stored locally and are always kept in synch while you are online. All data transfers are fully secure, by using 256-bit AES encryption.
In order to increase performance, the differences between two different file versions are temporarily cached on the Syncura server until all team members have received the latest version of the updated file. If the changes to a file amount to more than 10 MB, they are not cached on the server.
In case you need the latest version of a file and none of your teammates are online, Syncura will download the changes between your local version of a document and the updated master document and you will have the latest version of the file in all cases.
Moreover, whenever you change a file and your teammates are not online, Syncura sends the changes (not the whole file, just the portion that changed) to the Collaboration Relay Server, but only if the size of the changes are less than 10 MB.
Syncura facilitates file sharing because only the changes that users made are transferred: so if you add one page to a 100 page document, only the changes you made are shared with others. This strategy reduces network bandwidth by over 80%.
System requirements
Syncura is currently available only for Windows 2000 or Windows XP users and requires download.
Capacity
Although there is no limit on the number of users per team, more than 50 users on the same team may cause a decrease in performance.
Pricing
Syncura is completely free to use. Download it now.
Learn more
You can get more information by trying out the demo of Syncura provided on the web site.
You can visit Syncura's support forum to get free assistance and suggest new features.
Editor's comments
Syncura is a highly cost-effective (free while in Beta) Windows-only file sharing tool supporting multiple users with no need to rely on a private centralized server.
Syncura is highly bandwidth-efficient and is therefore best utilized where there are lots of files to be updated across a distributed team as well as where bandwidth issues may be an problem.
Syncura is easy to use and does not require a steep learning curve.
Syncura's own institutional information is well organized and presented, providing great help to the new user. A well designed demo provides as much insight into the tool abilities and use within anyone's reach.
Worth trying out.
