File storage/sync solutions such as Dropbox offer a whole new world of functionality to many users otherwise unfamiliar with the barest concept of cloud computing. But there are still many IT decisionmakers out there who just don’t trust public cloud solutions. Enter SOS Online Backup and its SOS Collaborate Private Cloud, designed to bring full file-sync and sharing capabilities into the customers’ own data center.

In addition to the aforementioned Dropbox-style file-sync and sharing features, SOS Collaborate supports open source plugins for additional file type or application data; grants administrators deep visibility into and control over customer usage; and provides a regulatory compliance audit trail for later usage, according to the press release. It can be deployed as a virtual appliance or on a physical machine behind the customer firewall.

Ken Shaw, CEO of SOS Online Backup, made the Dropbox parallel explicit in a prepared statement:

For interested cloud service providers, SOS Collaborate Private Cloud pricing starts at $1 per user per month, depending on the length of contract signed. It’s also worth noting that come March 2012, SOS will be offering a public cloud version of Collaborate to bolster its existing remote backup play.

I should note that SOS isn’t the only company that’s identified the need for private cloud storage solutions: ownCloud is angling to do the same thing with a pure open source product play. And Trend Micro SafeSync looks to meet strict compliance needs with a public cloud solution.