An important part of staying current, relative and efficient in your work is periodically evaluating the tools you use and how you use them to see if there is something out there that could serve you better.

Recently one of our designers, Adam Naglich, told me about BitTorrent Sync, a file sharing system that allows users to sync files directly between multiple computers and/or devices without having to pass data through an external server (which is the way it works with systems like Dropbox and Google Drive).

Why Adam likes BitTorrent Sync:

• Space: Your storage space is only limited by the hard drive space that you have. If you need more storage, you just buy another hard drive.

• Security: Stored data is securely shared peer-to-peer, so it never leaves your “walls,” so to speak. There is no middle man server to route data through, and the owner of the file(s) has full control over who gets access to what files and at what level. BitTorrent Sync explains system security here.

• Sharing: BitTorrent Sync allows for far more efficient file sharing. The same file can be housed on multiple devices, and rather than having to provide a sharing link for another user to access the file, as soon as a file is saved, it can be accessed by another user who has permissions for that file.

• Speed: File sharing with BitTorrent Sync is 16X faster than the cloud for a couple of reasons. Again, there is no third party server through which to route data. Instead of downloading a complete file from a single source server,  BitTorrent Sync can grab pieces (“bits”) of data simultaneously from each location the file is stored in. These bits are transferred at the same time to create a complete file for the end user accessing the data. This process uses BitTorrent protocol, and the more computers and devices your files are stored on, the faster your sharing time is.

• Streamlining: The user can customize which data is stored in which location based on individual needs. (It is not an “all or nothing” scenario. Not everything has to be stored everywhere.)

Adam uses BitTorrent Sync for his personal work and has been educating our team on its performance and benefits. Is there a tool you have found that helps you in your daily work? Tell us about it in the comments!