humyo

humyo was a cloud storage service launched in 2007 that provided online file storage, sharing and publishing capabilities. Users could upload files to remote servers, share them with other humyo users and place material on web pages. The service was positioned around accessible consumer-oriented online storage at a time when cloud file services were becoming more visible to mainstream internet users. The company was founded by Dan Conlon, who served as managing director, Mark Beyer, who served as chief marketing officer, and Peter Dubens, who served as chairman. Its initial free offering provided 30GB of storage, giving the service a substantial promotional capacity for its period. humyo’s infrastructure had a distinctive physical-security feature: the company owned a former Bank of England bullion vault and used the facility to house servers containing customer data. This vault became a notable part of the service’s public identity and its explanation of how user files were protected. humyo’s early growth was rapid. The service exited beta in March 2008 with approximately 100,000 users, and reported approximately 215,000 users by August of that year. In October 2008, the company changed its free-storage policy for new accounts, reducing the total allocation from 30GB to 10GB. The revised allowance was divided into 5GB for pictures, videos and music and another 5GB for other files. The change marked a shift from an especially generous free-storage acquisition strategy toward a more constrained model. On 11 June 2010, Trend Micro, a Japanese antivirus and security software company, was announced as the acquirer of humyo. The acquisition connected humyo’s cloud-storage capabilities with a broader security-software business. In September 2010, the service was rebranded as Trend Micro SafeSync, ending humyo’s operation as the consumer-facing brand. SafeSync later reached the end of its life on 31 January 2016, and Trend Micro announced that the service would end completely on 31 January 2017. The stated rationale was that the service could not feasibly be adapted or updated to match changing consumer needs, the surrounding technology environment and patterns of information-technology use. Reporting cited in the source material also noted that, as of May 2016, customers who had prepaid for extended SafeSync subscriptions had not been offered a compensation plan, even though subscription payments had reportedly continued well beyond the announced end-of-life and end-of-service dates. As a result, humyo is best understood as a defunct early cloud-storage brand whose principal legacy was its rapid user acquisition, unusually prominent secure-vault infrastructure story and transition into Trend Micro’s SafeSync product. No independent humyo service remains active according to the available reference material.

humyo was founded in 2007 by Dan Conlon, Mark Beyer and Peter Dubens. Conlon was identified as managing director, Beyer as chief marketing officer and Dubens as chairman. The business entered the cloud-storage market with a free allocation of 30GB, allowing users to store files online and share them with other users or publish them on web pages. A distinctive part of humyo’s infrastructure narrative was its use of a former Bank of England bullion vault. The company owned the vault and housed the servers supporting its storage service there, presenting the facility as a physical-security advantage for customer data. The combination of a large free tier and a prominent security story helped distinguish humyo in the early consumer cloud-storage market. The service closed its beta in March 2008 with approximately 100,000 users. Its reported user base reached approximately 215,000 by August 2008. Later that year, humyo changed the free-storage terms for new customers. In October 2008, the allowance was reduced to 10GB, with 5GB designated for pictures, videos and music and 5GB allocated to other files. This was a significant change from the original 30GB offer and represented a move toward more limited free capacity. On 11 June 2010, Trend Micro announced that it had acquired humyo. The purchaser was a Japanese antivirus and security company, and the acquisition brought humyo’s online storage technology into a larger security-oriented product portfolio. In September 2010, the humyo service was rebranded as Trend Micro SafeSync. The humyo name therefore ceased to be the principal identity of the service after only a few years of independent operation. SafeSync was subsequently discontinued. Its end-of-life date was 31 January 2016, followed by a broader end-of-service date of 31 January 2017. Trend Micro explained the shutdown by saying that the product could not feasibly be adapted or updated for changing consumer needs, the technology environment and patterns of IT use. The available reference material further states that, as of May 2016, users who had paid in advance for lengthy subscriptions had not been offered compensation, despite reports that payments for SafeSync had continued past the relevant discontinuation milestones. The available material does not identify a continuing humyo corporate operation, an independent successor brand or a current management team. humyo is consequently documented as a defunct cloud-storage brand and as a predecessor to Trend Micro SafeSync rather than as an active standalone service.

1. 2017SafeSync service ends

   Trend Micro’s successor service reaches its announced end-of-service date on 31 January.

   Source
2. 2016SafeSync reaches end of life

   SafeSync reaches its stated end-of-life date on 31 January.

   Source
3. 2010Trend Micro acquisition announced

   Trend Micro announces its acquisition of humyo on 11 June.

   Source
4. 2010Service becomes Trend Micro SafeSync

   The humyo service is rebranded as Trend Micro SafeSync in September.

   Source
5. 2008Beta phase closes

   humyo closes its beta in March with approximately 100,000 users.

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6. 2008User base reaches approximately 215,000

   The service reports approximately 215,000 users by August.

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7. 2008Free-storage allowance is reduced

   New users receive 10GB rather than the original 30GB, divided between media and other files.

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8. 2007humyo is founded

   Dan Conlon, Mark Beyer and Peter Dubens establish humyo as an online cloud-storage service initially offering 30GB free storage.

   Source

Consumer-oriented online storage emphasizing generous early free capacity, file sharing and the physical security of servers housed in a former Bank of England bullion vault.

• humyo cloud storageCloud storage service2007

  humyo’s core service let users upload and store files online, share them with other users and publish files on web pages. The original consumer offer included 30GB of free storage, later reduced for new users to 10GB divided between media files and other content. The service used servers housed in a former Bank of England bullion vault, a feature closely associated with its infrastructure and security positioning.

• Trend Micro SafeSyncCloud storage and synchronization service2010

  SafeSync was the successor branding applied to the humyo service after Trend Micro acquired the business. It continued the online-storage concept under Trend Micro’s security-software portfolio, but was later discontinued. The product reached end of life in January 2016 and end of service in January 2017.

• 2017End SafeSync serviceStrategy

  Trend Micro stated that it could not feasibly adapt or update SafeSync to meet changing consumer needs, the technology environment and IT usage patterns.

  What changed. The company set 31 January 2017 as the end-of-service date, following an end-of-life date of 31 January 2016.

  Aftermath. The successor service was discontinued. Reference material also reported that prepaid customers had no compensation plan available as of May 2016.

  Source
• 2010Trend Micro acquires humyoM&A

  humyo operated as a consumer cloud-storage service, while Trend Micro was a Japanese antivirus and security-software company.

  What changed. Trend Micro announced the acquisition of humyo on 11 June 2010.

  Aftermath. The service was subsequently incorporated into Trend Micro’s portfolio and rebranded as Trend Micro SafeSync in September 2010.

  Source
• 2010Rebrand the service as Trend Micro SafeSyncGeneration change

  Following Trend Micro’s acquisition, the humyo service was repositioned within the acquirer’s security and storage portfolio.

  What changed. Trend Micro replaced the humyo brand with Trend Micro SafeSync in September.

  Aftermath. humyo ceased to operate as the service’s principal consumer brand and became the predecessor to SafeSync.

  Source
• 2008Reduce free storage for new accountsPrice change

  humyo initially promoted a 30GB free-storage allowance. In October 2008, the company changed the terms for new users while retaining the service’s free tier.

  What changed. The new allowance was set at 10GB: 5GB for pictures, videos and music, and 5GB for other files.

  Aftermath. The change reduced the capacity of the promotional free offer and marked a shift from the service’s original high-capacity acquisition strategy.

  Source

• 2017Trend Micro announces SafeSync end of service

  Trend Micro announced that SafeSync would end on 31 January 2017, citing difficulties in adapting the service to changing consumer needs, technology conditions and IT usage.

  Other
  Source
• 2016SafeSync reaches end of life

  Trend Micro’s successor service reached its announced end-of-life date on 31 January 2016.

  Other
  Source
• 2016Questions arise over prepaid SafeSync subscriptions

  Reference material reported that subscription payments continued beyond the announced end-of-life and end-of-service dates, while no compensation plan had been made available to consumers who had prepaid for long periods as of May 2016.

  Other
  Source
• 2010Trend Micro acquires humyo

  Trend Micro announced the acquisition of humyo on 11 June 2010.

  M&A
  Source
• 2010humyo is rebranded as Trend Micro SafeSync

  In September 2010, Trend Micro replaced the humyo brand with SafeSync.

  Product generationM&A
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• 2008humyo exits beta with approximately 100,000 users

  The cloud-storage service closed its beta phase in March 2008 with about 100,000 users.

  Other
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• 2008humyo reports approximately 215,000 users

  By August 2008, reported user numbers had grown to approximately 215,000.

  Other
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• 2008humyo reduces free storage for new users

  The service reduced its new-user free allowance from 30GB to 10GB, split between media files and other files.

  Pricing
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1. Humyo