What is in this article?:
- Tonido's Personal Cloud Storage
- Checking Out Tonido
- Checking Out TonidoPlug
Tonido's has a great idea. Securely access your storage from anywhere on the Internet Tonido stands out from other platforms like CloudEngines PogoPlug and Ctera's CloudPlug because of its cross platform support. This is not to say that those other platforms do not support different client platforms. Instead, these are platforms that actually run Tonido's software. Tonido's TonidoPlug is like the other pluggable NAS devices like PogoPlug and CloudPlug except that the same software services can run on other platforms like Apple's Macintosh, a Linux or Windows PC. Web and network access works with a number of smartphones as well.
So what does Tonido's namesake software do? At its core is a NAS server providing access to files stored on a local disk. Access to these files can be done on a local network using conventional drive mappings. It also provides browser access. Like other plug systems, Tonido provides access using these mechanisms via the Internet. Access can be provided using two mechanisms.
The first approach is via Tonido's website. This type of service is on par with other plug devices. In this case, a user gets an account on Tonido's site and registers one or more Tonido devices like a TonidoPlug or a PC running Tonido's software. These devices access Tonido's website providing access via Tonido devices or a web browser. Security is provided by user names and passwords.
The second approach is how more conventional NAS devices could be access via the Internet. This requires a fixed IP address or support for dynamic DNS. Tonido handles both. The challenge for most users is opening a hole in their NAT gateway. The advantage is Tonido's website is not involved.
Accessing files is just basic services provided by Tonido. Tonido can also run a host of applications that can be downloaded from Tonido's site. They handle everything from streaming multimedia, access to web services like Flikr to personal finance. There is even an application for managing and downloading via BitTorrent. Most applications are free although more advanced versions sometimes have an additional charge like the Pro version of Tonido Webshare. Group collaboration is handy and all the data is stored on the users' computers instead of a service such as GoogleDocs. Tonido also provides synchronization options between Tonido devices. This allows users to share files automatically.
