I-drive

I-drive was an early American Internet storage brand and file-hosting service based in San Francisco. The company was founded in 1998 by Jeff Bonforte and a team that included Chris Lindland, Patrick Fenton, Tim Craycroft, Rich MacAlmon, John Reddig, and Lou Perrelli. Its concept developed from ShellServer.net, an earlier venture co-founded by Bonforte that provided storage space to Internet Relay Chat users. The name I-drive was derived from “Internet drive,” reflecting the company’s effort to present remote online storage as an extension of a user’s personal computer. The company launched its first online file-storage product in August 1999. The initial service provided a limited amount of free storage and allowed users to place files on the Internet so they could be accessed remotely. I-drive later introduced a sideloading feature, allowing users to store files such as MP3s gathered from the World Wide Web without first downloading them to their own computers. This feature positioned the service not only as a backup utility but also as a way to manage and collect digital media during the early growth of broadband access and online music services. The business expanded rapidly during the Internet boom. Around October 1999, the company acquired the idrive.com domain, replacing its original presentation as i-drive.com. In January 2000, it introduced unlimited storage and an associated application called Filo. The service attracted a substantial registered-user base and developed partnerships with MP3.com, ZDNet.com, and numerous universities. Contemporary technology coverage treated I-drive as a notable Web application, and the company was also identified by Fortune as an emerging technology to watch. In 2001, I-drive changed direction. Rather than continuing to focus primarily on a free consumer storage service, it began converting its underlying software architecture into a middleware storage platform. The company sought commercial applications in areas including mobile telecommunications and the emerging 3G market, with potential customers and partners such as NTT DoCoMo and EarthLink discussed in connection with the strategy. This represented a shift from a consumer-facing storage brand toward licensing and infrastructure software. The corporate name changed to Anuvio Technologies in January 2002. Later that year, I-drive’s assets were acquired by EMC Corporation, while certain assets, including the idrive.com domain name, were acquired by Pro Softnet Corporation, another online-storage provider. These transactions marked the end of I-drive as an independent operating service. At its peak, the company reportedly hosted more than 10 million registered users and employed approximately 110 people. The brand remains historically relevant as an early example of consumer cloud-storage and remote file-management services, predating the much larger synchronization and cloud-drive platforms that later became mainstream.

I-drive emerged during the late-1990s expansion of consumer Internet services. Its founding concept was connected to ShellServer.net, a 1996 venture associated with Jeff Bonforte that supplied online space to IRC users. Bonforte assembled the I-drive founding team in 1998, with Chris Lindland, Patrick Fenton, Tim Craycroft, Rich MacAlmon, John Reddig, and Lou Perrelli among the people involved. The last three were also identified as early angel investors. The company initially operated under the i-drive.com name and launched an online storage product in August 1999. Its basic proposition was to give users a remote place to keep files and retrieve them through the Web. This was an early consumer interpretation of cloud storage, before the term became common. The service began with a limited free-storage allowance and later added sideloading, which enabled users to place certain files, including MP3 files found online, into their remote storage without first saving them locally. Around October 1999, the company acquired the idrive.com domain. In January 2000 it expanded the service by offering unlimited storage and releasing Filo, an associated application. I-drive grew quickly and reportedly reached more than 10 million registered users at its peak. It also formed relationships with MP3.com, ZDNet.com, and around 40 universities. Its visibility was reflected in contemporary technology rankings: CNET recognized it as a leading Web application, while Fortune included it among technologies worth watching in 2000. The company’s business model and technical direction changed in 2001. Instead of continuing to emphasize a free, mass-market storage product, I-drive began reworking its architecture into a middleware storage platform. The new strategy targeted businesses and network operators, including participants in the developing 3G mobile ecosystem. The company explored opportunities associated with firms such as NTT DoCoMo and EarthLink, seeking to supply storage functionality that could be integrated into other products and services. In January 2002, the corporate entity adopted the name Anuvio Technologies. Later that year, the company’s assets were divided through acquisitions. EMC acquired I-drive assets, while Pro Softnet Corporation obtained selected assets, including the idrive.com domain. I-drive consequently ceased to operate as an independent brand. Its short history illustrates the transition from early free Web storage and digital-media collection toward enterprise storage infrastructure and the later cloud-computing market.

• 2002

  Corporate name changes to Anuvio Technologies

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  I-drive adopted the Anuvio Technologies name as it pursued a technology-platform strategy.

• 2002

  Assets transferred to EMC and Pro Softnet

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  Different parts of the business and its intellectual or digital assets were acquired, ending the independent I-drive service.

• 2001

  Strategic shift to middleware

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  The company began transforming its storage architecture for commercial middleware and mobile-network applications.

• 2000

  Unlimited storage and Filo introduced

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  I-drive expanded its offering with unlimited storage and the Filo application.

• 1999

  First online storage product launches

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  I-drive launched its first file-hosting service in August, initially providing limited free storage.

• 1999

  idrive.com domain acquired

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  The company obtained the idrive.com domain around October, consolidating its public brand identity.

• 1998

  I-drive is founded

  [1]I-driveen.wikipedia.org

  Jeff Bonforte and a founding team established the San Francisco-based online storage company.

An early Internet storage brand that combined free consumer file hosting with remote media management, later repositioning its technology as storage middleware for enterprise, mobile, and telecommunications markets.

• Online file hosting · 1999

  I-drive online storage service

  The company’s principal consumer service allowed users to upload, store, and access files through the Internet. It began with a limited free-storage offering and later expanded to unlimited storage. The product represented an early form of remotely accessible personal file storage and was aimed at users who wanted access to files beyond a single local computer.

• Remote file collection

  Sideloading

  Sideloading allowed users to place files located on the World Wide Web into their I-drive storage without first downloading those files to a personal computer. The feature was particularly associated with online media such as MP3 files and broadened the service from basic backup toward Web-based collection and management.

• Storage application · 2000

  Filo

  Filo was an application introduced alongside I-drive’s expansion to unlimited storage in January 2000. It formed part of the company’s effort to make remote storage more useful as an everyday file-management environment rather than merely a static online archive.

• Storage infrastructure software · 2001

  I-drive storage middleware

  Beginning in 2001, I-drive adapted its underlying software architecture into middleware intended for integration into other services. The company explored applications in mobile communications and the emerging 3G market, representing a move from direct consumer storage toward business-to-business technology licensing and infrastructure.

• 2002

  Transfer I-drive assets to new ownersM&A

  Background

  Following the company’s shift toward storage technology, I-drive’s assets were reorganized through transactions involving EMC and Pro Softnet.

  Action taken

  EMC acquired I-drive assets, while Pro Softnet acquired selected assets including the idrive.com domain.

  Aftermath

  I-drive ceased operating as an independent service and brand.

  Source

• 2001

  Reposition the business as storage middlewareStrategy

  Background

  I-drive moved beyond its free consumer-storage model and sought more durable commercial opportunities in mobile communications and the developing 3G ecosystem.

  Action taken

  The company reworked its software architecture into a middleware storage platform and pursued potential relationships with telecommunications and Internet companies.

  Aftermath

  The strategic transition preceded the 2002 name change to Anuvio Technologies and the subsequent transfer of assets to EMC and Pro Softnet.

  Source

• 2000

  Introduce unlimited storage and FiloProduct launch

  Background

  After launching as a limited free-storage service, I-drive sought to increase the usefulness and attractiveness of its platform during the rapid expansion of consumer Internet adoption.

  Action taken

  The company began offering unlimited storage and introduced the Filo application.

  Aftermath

  The move strengthened I-drive’s position as an early mass-market online storage service, although the company later shifted its focus toward middleware and commercial infrastructure.

  Source

• 2021.06.01

  Reported2021.06.01

  IDrive launches IDrive Photos[2]IDrive推出IDrive Photosprnewswire.com

  IDrive announced the launch of IDrive Photos, an unlimited photo and video cloud-backup application for iOS and Android devices.

• Unconfirmed

  IDrive launches data mirroring service[3]IDrive推出数据镜像服务socaltech.com

  IDrive launched a data mirroring service aimed at providing full image backups for Windows computers and servers. The source says the service is intended to protect against data loss and ransomware.

Read more

1. 1I-driveen.wikipedia.org
2. 2IDrive推出IDrive Photosprnewswire.com
3. 3IDrive推出数据镜像服务socaltech.com