The depend on the number of "Power Users" needed; those accounts allow backup and desktop access without a web browser. You'll pay $15/month for each basic account, with access to a total of 1TB storage. Once you exceed 10 accounts, per-user costs decrease, and you get unlimited storage. You'll have to add $10/month for the 1TB bring-your-own-network-drive local storage service. (For unlimited storage accounts, Egnyte raises that fee to $20/month.)

Egnyte scrambles transmissions as you'd expect, with 128-bit AES over SSL. More surprising, its browser-based search tool can quickly wrangle certain files, plus there's even an iPhone client to forward files remotely.

Weighing in IT costs, small businesses could come in cheaper than hosting their own file servers. And compared to stringing together several services, Egnyte's combined approach could save money.

Zack Stern is building a new business from San Francisco, where he frequently contributes to PC World.