The author has been a devoted SugarSync user for years, appreciating its automatic backup, synchronization, and file sharing capabilities. However, a recent experience exposed a critical flaw in the software.
During troubleshooting of blue screen errors on his desktop, the author disconnected his D: drive, which contained all his user data backed up and synced with SugarSync. This action led SugarSync to mistakenly interpret the unavailability of the D: drive as a deletion of all files on it. Consequently, SugarSync proceeded to delete all corresponding files from his laptop and marked them as deleted on the SugarSync servers.
While the author had backups, this incident highlighted a significant flaw: SugarSync’s inability to differentiate between a disconnected drive and deleted files. The author criticizes SugarSync’s response, particularly their incorrect claim of automatic folder disconnection when a drive is missing. He expresses concern about potential data loss in real-world scenarios like using external drives or experiencing drive failures.
Fortunately, the author had multiple backups - local server backups, Carbonite backups, and robocopy backups - that preserved his data. Despite this, the incident caused considerable annoyance and time wasted due to SugarSync’s flawed functionality and inadequate support.
UPDATE 1: SugarSync confirmed their software is designed to delete synced files across all devices if a hard drive becomes inaccessible. They categorize themselves as a synchronization service, not a backup solution. Recovering deleted files is cumbersome, requiring individual directory restoration.
UPDATE 2: As a precaution, the author implements Acronis TrueImage for full image backups of his drives.
UPDATE 3: Another user, Loren M., confirms experiencing similar data loss with SugarSync. This issue primarily affects “power users” with multiple drives and synced computers. Loren emphasizes that SugarSync should not be considered a backup solution and users must employ separate backup mechanisms to avoid potential data loss. He criticizes SugarSync for deleting synchronized files when a drive is temporarily disconnected, deeming it a “fail-deadly” configuration. Loren also highlights the challenge of recovering deleted files due to the requirement of restoring individual subdirectories. He, too, had to rely on a separate backup (Crashplan) to recover his data.
Both the author and Loren conclude that SugarSync is a synchronization tool, not a reliable backup solution. They urge users to implement independent backup systems to safeguard their data against SugarSync’s potential for data deletion.
Steve,
It is interesting you would note this. Unfortunately I can conclusively confirm that SugarSync has not fixed the problem since you reported it, since I fell victim to the same fate with terrifyingly similar results. I also discovered a few additional tidbits of information… To go through the reason you mentioned point by point and why I think people should still be worried:
1. First, take no comfort in the idea that SugarSync allows you to recover your deleted items. I also had thousands of directories and subdirectories on my system. The initial problem in trying to recover these files is that each and every one of these subdirectories must be recovered individually – there is no way to select one directory and all the subdirectories below it, each subdirectory (and underlying subdirectory) must be opened, and all the files selected, and a restore stared. This alone may take the better part of one’s life to work through. However even those willing to suffer through this will be disappointed with the results. I found major sections of my file structure were no longer recoverable at all – the subdirectories simply did not exist on the SugarSync server. They were just gone.
2. In my situation, the removed drive was only disconnected for an hour or so. It automatically remounted itself, by that time it came back online SugarSync had already decided to delete all the synchronized files from my three other computers. When the offline drive came back, it then “synchronized” with the deleted computers and also deleted everything. If the reason you or anyone is using SugarSync is to have a “backup” copy, you should stop using SugarSync right now even if you have paid for it. Once you have SugarSync up and running, it is the opposite of a backup – loss of your document drive on any of your synchronized computers will ensure it will be deleted from each and every computer you are syncing to. This is the worst possible “fail deadly” configuration imaginable for “backup” system, yet it is exactly how SugarSync operates and this can be proven by repeatable testing.
3. The only possible way to save yourself from the horrors of SugarSync is to backup all of your data somewhere else. I happened to be using Crashplan, which is the only way I got my data back. If anyone out there is using SugarSync – and I can’t stress this enough – a separate backup tool must also be used which does not rely on SugarSync to protect data. Keep in mind however that if the backup tool is running in the background or on some schedule, there may well come a time when SugarSync has deleted all of the data from the drive being backed up – recovery of deleted files from the backup service is the only possible route at this point, but this too can be problematic since the backup service has no way of discerning what was intentionally deleted vs. what SugarSync deleted when it went crazy.
4. In a scenario eerily similar to Steve, I was using Allwaysync to synchronize all my files to my file server. Unfortunately I had been setup to “synchronize” instead of copy, and since deletions were synchronized this copy was promptly deleted as well. I have since switched to a “copy” mode, however it is less than ideal, since it means nothing I legitimately delete will ever be deleted from the server, and I’ll have to manage this additional copy manually just to make sure I don’t suffer the “SugarSync Suicide” again.
My takeaway from this whole experience was that SugarSync is not a backup solution – it is a synchronization tool with a nasty penchant for destruction of file systems. To anyone using SugarSync - you need a separate backup solution (and a very good one) to protect yourself from what SugarSync will eventually do to you if your synchronized drive goes bad.
Another insidious aspect of this problem is that “casual” users of SugarSync or those who are simply using the free few GB as a trial before purchasing more storage are highly unlikely to ever experience a problem. However paying customers who are more often than not synchronizing entire documents devices (on a separate drive) will almost certainly be hit by this problem at some point, and it will be when they are most vulnerable – after a drive failure.
Good luck, and let’s hope SugarSync addresses these problems soon!
Loren
Steve Endow is a Dynamics GP Certified Trainer and Dynamics GP Certified IT Professional in Los Angeles. He is also the owner of Precipio Services, which provides Dynamics GP integrations, customizations, and automation solutions.