SmartVault Corporation - SmartVault

From the July 2010 Review of Document
Storage Systems.

SmartVault
was originally designed as a doc-ument storage system for QuickBooks, but has
moved towards a generic platform to store and share files, whether or not they
are related to QB.

CORE FUNCTIONALITY:
SmartVault is a “cloud computing” solution provided in a web-hosted
environment. The primary function of SmartVault is for users to store, access
and exchange files online. I found the most compelling feature of SmartVault
to be the ability to setup a folder in your Windows Explorer to map directly
to SmartVault. This means that you can move files between the online SmartVault
storage system and your local storage system. This can be used in a similar
fashion with Mac computer, as well.

INTEGRATION:
SmartVault provides direct integration with QuickBooks via a toolbar allowing
users to upload and access their source documents directly from QuickBooks.
SmartVault also integrates with Microsoft Outlook to drag and drop e-mail messages
and their attachments directly to SmartVault. A custom integration with the
popular Fujitsu ScanSnap desktop scanner provides for one-click scanning directly
into SmartVault. Think of SmartVault in terms of an online extension of your
local Windows Explorer system. You can right-click a filename to upload it directly
to a designated SmartVault folder, and you can drag and drop files between folders.
There is also a SmartVault Inbox that you can scan directly into and then drag
the file to the appropriate destination.

E-mail messages are sent to invite users to access their files by logging
into a secure portal. This helps you to comply with the ever-growing list of
information privacy regulations.

ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITY:
The SmartVault files are stored in a SAS70-Type 2 approved data center with
redundant servers and a disaster recovery model that can withstand a Category
5 hurricane. The system allows you to collaborate by inviting users to your
account. Each plan includes an established number of full-access users plus
a number of Guest users. A full-access user has access to the Desktop software,
SmartVault Inbox, Drive Mapping and Web Portal. A Guest user can upload and
access documents from the Web Portal only. Right-clicking on a folder establishes
permissions for User or Guest access to a file. You can do this at the vault
or folder level, and you can create as many vaults and folders as you need in
your hierarchy. Users and Guests can be given permissions to read, write or
delete files in a folder.

SUMMARY & PRICING
The primary value proposition for SmartVault is to provide a single solution
to share and store your content securely online. The fact that it is offered
as a web-hosted solution minimizes the technology issues you need to deal with
and provides you with peace of mind regarding the security of your files. Pricing
starts at $19 per month for a single-user system with 2GB of storage, $39 per
month for three users and 15GB of storage, and $69 per month for five users
and 30GB of storage.

2010 OVERALL RATING:

Technology