How it Works - Frequently Asked Questions

Click on any item in the following table of contents to view an answer. If there is anything you would like to know that is not covered here, call us - we would be delighted to speak with you!

Overview

What is Egnyte Cloud File Server?
The Egnyte Cloud File Server provides a single solution that securely stores all your business files, enables effortless file sharing with co-workers and clients, and backs up any computer on your network. Egnyte eliminates the need to purchase and maintain servers, virtual private networks (VPN) and point-products such as FTP. With a unique hybrid approach to online storage, Egnyte enables you to access, edit and store files locally in your office or from the Internet cloud, providing the advantages of both traditional servers and cloud-based solutions - without the associated high cost and overhead.
How do I know my data is secure?
The privacy of your data is as important to us as it is to you. That's why we use world-class data protection technology and tiered security management policies to ensure both the integrity and complete privacy of all your critical business files.

The Egnyte network and all communications - both in and out - are protected by best-of-class firewall and router technology, strong SSL encryption and a Network Intrusion Detection System that monitors and proactively blocks worms, hackers, sniffers and other undesirables. Every data request is authenticated, first by domain, then by username and password. Folder structure contains read/write/delete access permissions, enabling you to invite suppliers, customers and business partners to share data with confidence, since you have complete control over their access rights.

Egnyte servers are hosted at Type II, SAS 70 compliant collocation facilities that features 24-hour manned security, biometric access control, video surveillance and physical locks. Egnyte further ensures your data is secure with redundant independent storage units using RAID 6.

Egnyte is compliant with industry security and privacy requirements including HIPAA, EU Safe Harbor, and SEC Financial Services 17-a, 31-a2, 204-2.
What customer support does Egnyte offer?
Our customer support team is friendly, knowledgeable and available to all Egnyte customers at no additional charge. Customer support is available 24/7 via email or by phone, Mon through Fri, 8am - 6pm PST (1-650-265-4058).
How many users can Egnyte support?
Egnyte was designed for use in a business environment and can easily scale as your business requirements change. You can start with a single user account and grow it to support thousands of users.

Egnyte is available in three affordable plans that include 1, 5 or 10 Power Users per plan, and 20, 100 and 250 Standard Users respectively. For Enterprise Plans requiring more than 50 Power Users or 250 Standard Users, please contact us at: 1-877-734-6983.
Can I customize my Egnyte Web page to match my company brand?
Yes, you can use your company logo and color scheme of your choice for your Egnyte Web site pages. In addition, you can map the access URL for your Cloud File Server with your company-specific domain name, create company-specific message templates, and change default SMTP settings to send email messages/alerts from your company mail system.

Optionally, you can use your company's domain for your Egnyte account. Contact us for details.

Free Trial and Subscription

How can I evaluate if Egnyte is right for my business?
To help you to determine if Egnyte is right for your business, we offer a free LIVE demo each day. If you're still not convinced that Egnyte is the ideal way to securely store, share and back up your critical business files, you can sign up for a 15-day Free Trial (no Credit Card Required) as a "hands-on" way to evaluate if Egnyte is right for you.
What's included in the Free Trial?
Nothing is held back in the 15-day Free Trial. You get fully functional Egnyte service of your choice for 15 days. You can change your service plan and upgrade from a Free Trial to a paid subscription at anytime from within your Egnyte account.
How do I sign up for Egnyte?
Getting started with Egnyte couldn't be easier. Simply sign up from our website for a plan that best suits your needs. As the designated administrator for your account, you can create additional user accounts with appropriate folder permission levels for co-workers, business partners or anyone else who will be using the Egnyte Cloud File Server. Egnyte will provide you with a custom website address (https://yourcompany.egnyte.com) where you will be able to store and access your files, back up your computer and share information with others.

Egnyte offers a 15-day Free Trial (no Credit Card Required) that provides you with all the features and functionality of the paid service account. (You can select any service plan for your free trial.)
How much do Egnyte services cost?
Plans start at just $9.99 per month and are based on the number of users and amount of storage you require. You can pay for Egnyte monthly or annually with a credit card. Invoice billing is available for qualified corporate accounts upon request.

You can change plans at any time from within your account. To learn more about our pricing, click here.
Is there a setup fee?
No, Egnyte does not charge any fees for setup.

What is the difference between Power Users and Standard Users?

Power Users have access to all the key features of the Egnyte Cloud File Server, including the ability to map the Egnyte Cloud File Server as a network drive, access to the Local Cloud, continuous backup for their computers and their own private folder.
Standard Users are generally your business partners. They have access only to the specific shared folders to which they have been given permissions and their access to the Egnyte Cloud File Server is limited to only a Web browser. They cannot access Egnyte as a mapped drive from their desktop, nor can they back up their computer.

Here is a table of comparison:

	Power Users	Standard Users
Web Access Upload and download files from Egnyte folders using a Web browser.	x	x
Desktop Access Access Egnyte as a mapped drive on your desktop (My Computer in Windows, Finder on Mac).	x	n/a
Computer Backup Protect your computers via continuous backup. Instantly access backed up data from the web.	x	n/a
Additional Power Users are available for Group and Office plans Contact us for special pricing for accounts over 50 Power Users Each additional Power User adds 20 Standard Users account You can add and remove users at any time from within your Egnyte account

How do I add and manage users?
As an Administrator, you can quickly add and manage both Power Users and Standard Users from within your account. The number of users available for your account is determined by the plan you select. You can easily add additional users or upgrade to a plan with a larger number of included users.
How much online storage do I get?
Egnyte service is available in several affordable plans that include 20 GB, 150 GB or 1 TB of online storage.

If you find that your business requires more online storage than you had anticipated, additional storage can be purchased from within your account. An unlimited storage plan is also available; for more information, please contact us at: 1-877-734-6983.
How do I cancel my subscription with Egnyte?
You can cancel your subscription at any time by contacting our technical support team. There are no contracts or long term commitments.
What kind of commitment do I have to make?
The 15-day Free Trial requires no credit card, and you can cancel at anytime. You can upgrade from the free trial to a paid subscription from within your Egnyte account, and payments can be made from your credit card on monthly or annual basis.
Can I change my billing plan at any time?
Changes to your billing plan can be made at any time from within your Egnyte account, or by calling one of our friendly knowledgeable account representatives at 1-650-265-4058. (Available Mon through Fri, 8am - 6pm PST).
Can I pay my bill by check or invoice?
Invoice billing is available for corporate customers. Please contact us for details.

Online Storage and File Access

What is the maximum file size I can store and share on Egnyte?
There are no restrictions as to maximum file size or type that you can store and share on Egnyte.

What are the upload and download speeds?

File upload and download speeds are dependent on two factors: the size of the file in question and your available Internet bandwidth. Below are some examples of upload times:

File Size	Upload Speed	Upload Time
100 MB	5.0 Mbps	2 mins. 39 secs.
100 MB	1.5 Mbps	8 mins. 33 secs.
100 MB	256 Kbps	51 mins. 19 secs.

What types of information can I store in Egnyte?
Egnyte Cloud File Server can store files of any type or size, as well as emails from Microsoft Outlook.
How do I access my files when I'm off-line?
Personal Local Cloud provides full off-line access to all your files and folders via a local file cache. Designed for those occasions when you don't have Internet access or are working with large files, the Personal Local Cloud utilizes automatic synchronization to ensure that when Internet connectivity is restored, all changes between offline and online files are instantly reconciled.
What happens to my data if I choose to stop using Egnyte or cancel my subscription?
If you choose to stop using Egnyte or cancel your subscription, you can easily export all your data out from the Egnyte Cloud File Server. You can then utilize the delete functions within the application to safely purge your data from our servers. (Additionally, all cancelled accounts are completely deleted and purged from our servers as matter of routine maintenance.)
Can I used my smartphone or mobile device to access my files?
Yes, using the Web browser on your smartphone or mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Blackberry or Android), you can access, share and manage your documents. Additionally, Egnyte also has applications for the iPhone and iPad that are available from iTunes App Store.
Can I access online files directly from my desktop and manipulate them with drag-and-drop?
All Power Users can access their files and folders using a Web browser or via a mapped drive for convenient desktop file access. This makes uploading and downloading your files that reside on Egnyte as simple as dragging and dropping them from the mapped drive to your PC or Mac. Need to make edits? Simply open the file from your mapped drive, make your changes and then save.
How can I migrate large amounts of data to Egnyte?
Egnyte offers an optional data migration service to help you move large amount of data from a physical file server or another service to Egnyte. Please contact technical support for details.

File and Folder Sharing, Large File Transfer

How do I share files with customers, clients or business partners?
Sharing files with trusted individuals outside your firm is both easy and secure. Simply add them as Standard Users to your Address Book, and then upload the files you wish to share to your Shared Folder on the Egnyte Cloud File Server. A powerful mechanism for sharing files, the Shared Folder gives you full control over user access through read/write/delete access permissions.
How do I upload and share large files?
Egnyte enables you to upload and share large files and folders without using email. A built-in, browser-based Java uploader handles most of the heavy lifting, but for the largest files (500 MBs or more), Egnyte provides easy-to-use, no-maintenance FTP.
How can I share files via links?
When viewing the list of files on your Egnyte dashboard, simply select the one you wish to share and click the SEND action. This creates a link (unique URL) that you can embed in a document, webpage or email. When the link is clicked, the file is automatically downloaded without requiring a login to Egnyte. You can also set an expiration date on the link, as well as automatic notification via email when a link is clicked.
How can I share folders via links?
When viewing the list of folders on your Egnyte dashboard, simply select the one you wish to share and click the SEND action. This creates a link (unique URL) that you can embed in a document, webpage or email. Unlike file sharing via link, however, you can designate a folder as Public (available to anyone) or Protected (requiring an authenticated login). When the link is clicked (with appropriate user access), the folder is automatically downloaded with all of its accompanying files.
How do I upload multiple files?
Egnyte is designed to handle multiple-file and -folder uploads with ease. For multiple uploads, simply log in to the Egnyte Cloud File Server and use the built-in, browser-based Java uploader. (The uploader can handle all but the heaviest of lifting. For the largest files (500 MBs or more), Egnyte provides easy-to-use, no-maintenance FTP.)
Can I use FTP to upload large files?
Most files can be uploaded to the Egnyte Cloud File Server using the built-in, browser-based Java uploader - but for files 500 MBs or larger, you can use an industry standard FTP client. (Egnyte also provides Data Migration Services for customers who have extremely large initial data sets that need to be migrated into their account.)
Does Egnyte support WebDAV?
Yes. With Egnyte, all Power Users can map a network drive to the Cloud File Server for desktop file access. This allows for easy file access either through the Windows user interface or command prompt. (Mac users can create a shared volume for this functionality.)
Can I use Egnyte to email a large file?
With Egnyte, sharing a large file via email is as easy as sharing a link. Simply create a link to a file or folder within Egnyte, and then share it internally with members of your team via email (or make it publically available over your blog, Website, even your Twitter or Facebook account). There's no software required for downloading the file and you control how long the file is available for access. You can even be automatically notified when a file has been downloaded.

Local Cloud

What is Local Cloud?
Local Cloud creates a local copy provides off-line access to the files and folders stored on the Cloud File Server. Local Cloud file access is faster than accessing the same files over the Internet. Any changes you make locally are synchronized with the files on your Cloud File Server - with versioning intact - once Internet connectivity has been restored. Local Cloud is available to Power Users only.
What is the difference between Personal Local Cloud, Office Local Cloud, and Enterprise Local Cloud?
- Personal Local Cloud is deployed to your computer hard drive or direct attached storage drive for enabling local access to your files and folders.
- Office Local Cloud is deployed on Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and can be used to maintain folders behind a corporate firewall.
- Enterprise Local Cloud is designed to be deployed on any hardware operating as a VMware® Virtual Appliance
How much does Local Cloud cost?
Personal Local Cloud is available to all Power Users in your account.

Office Local Cloud and Enterprise Local Cloud are available at extra cost, priced at $39.99 per month per instance

To learn more about Local Cloud, click here

FTP and File Server Replacement

Can I have a centralized server for multiple offices?
With Egnyte, you can add as many users as you need and assign administrative and data access rights across multiple offices. Shared folders can be structured with permissions for Power Users and Standard Users, thereby allowing employees, partners and customers to have access to this information as appropriate. For larger implementations, Directory Service APIs enable easy integration with existing LDAP or Active Directory Service for users/groups and password management. Administrators can also assign and revoke permissions on folders to assert control over what folders a user can access.
Can Egnyte replace a physical file server?
Yes, the Egnyte Cloud File Server is designed take the place of a physical file server. Instead of being located in a server room, however, the Egnyte Cloud File Server is like an online hard drive that allows you to upload, organize, securely store and share as many files as you want, regardless of type or size.
Can I replace my FTP server with Egnyte?
Yes, Egnyte provides an easy-to-use alternative to FTP servers. Unlike traditional FTP, you can use one Egnyte account to share and exchange files with multiple partners. You have complete control over who can access specific folders on your Egnyte server. Egnyte works flawlessly with popular FTP clients to speed-up uploads of large files.
Can I back up my company computers?
With your Egnyte subscription, you get two backup licenses per Power User, enabling you to back up any networked computer on a scheduled, continual or on-demand basis. While the initial back up is comprehensive, targeting all files in the "My Documents" and "Desktop Folder" - including Outlook .PST archive files - subsequent back ups are designed to pick up only new files or changes to existing files. ("My Documents" and "Desktop Folder" files are selected by default; you can identify other folders to be backed up as well.)
How does Egnyte let multiple users work on the same file?
Egnyte provides the following features that make online collaboration easy and effective:
- File locking and checkout
  The system automatically locks files when users open them for editing. In addition, users can manually lock files for modifications (file check-out). Once a file is locked (checked out), other users can view the file, but cannot edit or upload changes until the file has been unlocked (file check-in).
- Automatic file versioning
  No need to change filenames to capture versions. Egnyte automatically versions files as they change. Egnyte never "overwrites" a file, so you get a complete audit trail of who made a change and when they made it.
- Automatic notification of file changes
  As new files are added or as existing files change, Egnyte automatically notifies each user that has access to those files. Each person can specify a notification frequency indicating how often they would like to be notified.