Livedrive

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Livedrive
Initial releaseDecember 2008
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows 7 and later
Mac OS 10.11 and later
iOS 11 and later
Android 7.0 and later
Available inEnglish
TypeOnline backup service, online file synchronization and storage service
Websitewww.livedrive.com

Livedrive is an online cloud backup and sync storage service owned by j2 Global. The company provides users with unlimited backup space and 2,000 GB or more of sync storage.[1] Livedrive enables users to access their data from mobile phones and tablets. Currently Livedrive has apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and ChromeOS.

History

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Livedrive was founded in late 2008 by Andrew Michael. Another investor in the company was Nicholas Cowell.[2]

In October 2009 Livedrive entered into the US market place via a distribution agreement with Lifeboat Distribution - an international speciality software distribution for security, application lifecycle, and virtualization and network infrastructure products.[3]

In April 2011, Livedrive created an April fools video which falsely stated that the company was storing files on paper using QR codes. The story was picked up by several press sources as a true story including CBS's Money Watch.[4]

On February 10, 2014, Livedrive was purchased by j2 Global. Livedrive is part of j2's Business Cloud Services division, which includes eFax, eVoice, Fusemail, Campaigner, and KeepITsafe.[5]

After shutting down hundreds of user accounts for “excessive bandwidth/storage”, Livedrive was reported in August 2014 to be facing legal action from discontented customers.[6]

Media streaming

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In September 2010, Livedrive added personal music and movie streaming to their accounts. This gave users the ability to listen to their own music collections or watch their movies on a remote computer, with transcoding handled by Livedrive. The company also gave users FTP access and unlimited versioning.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Livedrive Personal Product Features - Online Backup & Storage". www2.livedrive.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  2. ^ "Nicholas Cowell: Brother who's also got the X Factor". The Independent. January 21, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  3. ^ "Livedrive Partners With Lifeboat Distribution to Bring". Bloomberg. October 27, 2009. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  4. ^ "Livedrive's New Online Storage Secret: Paper Printouts". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  5. ^ "j2 Global Acquires LiveDrive; j2's Online Backup Annualized Monthly Run-Rate Exceeds $40M". www.businesswire.com. 2014-02-10. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
  6. ^ Charles Arthur: Livedrive facing legal action after closing cloud backup accounts, The Guardian 27.8.2014.
  7. ^ "Livedrive adds media streaming". The Register. September 23, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2013.