Trend Micro — the anti-virus and security software provider — is preparing a push into the online backup market. Long term, Trend Micro intends to help VARs and MSPs profit from managed security and managed storage. But short term, Trend Micro’s storage efforts will start in the consumer market with so-called SafeSync technology. Here’s the strategy.

Simply put, SafeSync is designed to synchronize online cloud storage and backup across multiple computers. SafeSync is the first offering to emerge following Trend Micro’s buyout of humyo, the online data and storage company.

SafeSync works through browser, a PC client, or even as a ‘virtual drive’ when offline, and Trend Micro stresses the point that multiple computers can share and sync the same data. For example, Trend Micro says a family member using SafeSync can stream an HD movie directly from the SafeSync account, without having to wait around for “downloads and bulky e-mails.” There are also the obvious benefits backup and data recovery since SafeSync will continually backup selected files and folders and replicate any changes made on a local machine.

To get more insights I spoke with Mark Beyer, a marketing consultant at Trend Micro (previously CMO and co founder of humyo) and Brian Katzen,product manager at Trend Micro. Beyer and Katzen say Trend Micro will launch SMB solutions based on humyo in early 2011. The SMB offering will focus more on backup rather than synchronization, they indicated.

First Moves

In the meantime, SafeSync offers some clear benefits for consumers and even small businesses, both Trend Micro representatives assert. Katzen calls SafeSync a…

Katzen says some companies offer multiple computer sharing, but no automated syncing (e.g. DropBox), while other companies offer synchronized backup that’s only available to one machine at a time (e.g. Carbonite). Both Beyer and Katzen says Trend Micro is looking to apply the backup technology to iPhone and Android devices in the near future, but right now SafeSync focuses on a simple app for accessing files in the cloud.

You can get your hands on Safe Sync globally soon, but US customers can get it now and at the promotional price of $59.95 a year with unlimited GB of storage space.

This blogger thinks it’s not a bad idea for a small company of 5-10 people, but you can weigh in with comments.

Bigger question at hand: is Trend Micro on the cusp of something big, or is this just an easier way of sharing and backup that people have done with an existing combination of tools?

Sign up for The VAR Guy’s Weekly Newsletter; Webcasts and Resource Center; and via RSS; Facebook;   Identi.ca; Twitter and VARtweet.