WinZip 14 (14.5) Plus review

The good news...
With WinZip 14 (14.5) Plus, Corel has finally turned the corner and is again making quality products that serve a practical purpose.

Overview & Features
** Benefits and Improvements
*** Cloud Computing and WinZip
**** Conclusion

Overview

WinZip 14 Plus, now updated to "14.5" is a file-compression and "Personal Information Manager" [email/ calendar/ task] suite centered around their latest version of WinZip created by the Canadian company, Corel Corporation.

Once upon a time, Corel stood shoulder to shoulder with all of the emerging names in software development industry. And, at one point, two of their three products were seen as the industry-leading standard, namely WordPerfect and WinZip. Along with Draw, the vector-based graphic arts program, Corel's products greatly expanded what one could do intellectually, professional and artistically with a personal computer.

But, something happened from the 90's through the middle part of this decade. While Microsoft went on an unrelenting (and, in some cases, unethical) expansion and startups came into their own, Corel refused to keep pace with progress. Their bread and butter programs became almost irrelevant, relegated to sub-par status and only seriously considered for its relatively inexpensive price.

Luckily, however, there's been a change at the top of Corel. A new CEO, a new vision and an enthusiastic team who believe they can bring Corel back from near-extinction. This brings me to WinZip 14 Plus.

** WinZip 14 Plus is a packaged suite. For the mid-size to large corporations, this package offers a lot in terms of reducing the cost of storage, securing critical data and it's ability to integrate with the company's internal workflow. And, I think the price is extremely attractive. (As much as what this product offers larger companies, I'm not convinced that home-based or even smaller-sized companies need the extra set of software that accompanies the main software, WinZip)

What can WinZip Plus do for me, the larger company?

The core purpose of WinZip is file compression. The default zip compression on Windows XP converts and reduced a file size between 1 and 1.5% (Apple's OS reduces the same configuration at 2%.) Corel's WinZip compresses the files consistently at 21% by my testing. 21%! (See video)

Encryption. There are two encryption types--one that considers several older (archaic) model compression types and a second that takes advantage of newer compression files. There are also three (3) encryption methods from an 8-character, 16-character and a 32-character password security entry.

WinZip Plus also has a new email attachment suite, called E-Mail Companion 2.0, which integrates with Microsoft Outlook and other corporate mail services. So, moving large files is easier and faster. Once installed, Email Companion is automatically recognized by suite.

*** Cloud Computing. Let me say upfront, I'm not a fan of the idea of "Cloud Computing" to save large amount of highly sensitive data, but that is the way that a lot of large corporations are going. They see it as an economical way and a relatively safe way to store and access their data away from their main facility. It also reduces IT and labor costs. And so, the bottom line wins out every time. Perhaps, we should consider the watchword, "a penny wise and pound foolish." WinZip, with its advance compression method and its strong encryption base can greatly reduce the chance that someone will gain access to critical information.

**** Reducing file space size, multiple options for encryption, integration with the companies internal data service and a very attractive retail price makes WinZip 14 (14.5) Plus a very smart business move.