So what is Scrubly?

Scrubly is a cross-platform application that helps the user to clean and organize multiple address books.

And why do I want this?

The basic idea behind this nifty piece of software is simple. Remove duplicate contacts from your address books.

Previously, this was never really an issue for most users, but with the advent of smartphone technologies and the ability to sync directly with a Gmail account, for example, the potential for duplicates, errors, and typos has increased. exponentially increased.

Can’t I remove them myself?

The simple answer is yes, of course you can, and with less than 10 entries, that really shouldn’t take you long.

I have hundreds of business contacts; however, when I’m away, I’m happy to update a customer’s contact details using my Android phone super fast and then sync this data with my Gmail account.

Then, back at the office, I switch to my desktop, happily kick back with a cup of coffee, and spend an hour or so switching screens between Outlook and Gmail, comparing details and correcting typos.

The last paragraph is of course an absolute blatant lie! I’d never have time to do that, I’m just trying to remember whose address is at what location, and um… it’s definitely tricky.

So how exactly does this work?

Scrubly uses what is sometimes called cloud technology or cloud computing. This is a centralized system that allows any computer or web-enabled device (smartphones, for example) to access an online service, be it storage, apps, email, or games. Scrubly processes your address book data within what they call the Scrubly Cloud. In short, all your data is stored in one centralized location that you can access from any web-enabled device.

Okay, maybe you could use it, but what about security?

To be honest, this was my first concern before I tried Scrubly, as I still tend to worry about the security of online data storage systems. If you check their website, you can see that Scrubly uses the standard SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) asymmetric encryption, which in English (removing the techno-babble) means that there is an encrypted link between Scrubly and your browser. You can check if a site has SSL by looking for the lock icon in the bottom right corner of your browser. This ensures that you will not be scammed by any fake phishing sites.

Scrubly servers are fire-protected, require biometric access controls (for example, company employees will need to use fingerprint access), are under constant surveillance, have redundant power supplies and generators (in case power goes out power), fire protection, suppression systems, and carefully monitored climate control systems to protect the servers that store your data.

Scrubly uses a strict password policy that includes complexity requirements (must be a certain length, contain a mix of upper and lower case), a password history, and a forced reset. Experienced Internet users will recognize and appreciate that this is fairly standard and expected.

All data in your Scrubly account is copied to multiple database servers in three separate geographic locations. In effect, this means that if one or even two of the servers fail, your data will be safe. If you read the details on their website, they also back up data every night to tape, which again is the standard you’d expect from a professional company. Additionally, the data is stored in a secure off-site location in case there might be any tornadoes flying by.

In short, they have thought about this.

What if Scrubly removes something it shouldn’t? How do I control what he does?

Initially, I wasn’t that comfortable with the idea of ​​allowing a piece of software to run rampant through my valuable contacts, deleting, moving, and changing things. I’ve always been a bit of a control freak when it comes to my personal data, be it contacts, reports, you name it. I like to be in charge and make the final decision.

After setting up an exemplary database of made-up contacts (including duplicates, of course) in a different Gmail account, I let Scrubly go through it (and it was super fast) to see how much control I had over the process. Fortunately, I was able to take complete control when Scrubly asked for my approval for recommended changes at each stage of the process. There’s even an option to undo and go back to the original data at any time, be it weeks or months later.

What other features does it have or does it just remove duplicates?

Scrubly also has the ability to merge supported contacts. This was actually more helpful to me than just removing duplicates, as very few of my problems were with actual identical entries. Scrubly will look for two or more matching key fields (such as email address, phone number), and if it finds matching data, it will give you the opportunity to review one or all of these groups of contacts before processing. Once I got used to this simple and brilliant idea (and learned to trust the process), I used the automated one-click option, which is much faster. Not bad for a self-confessed control freak.

Another useful feature is Scrubly’s ability to identify and flag potential spam email addresses. Many online address books automatically create a new contact for each new email you send or receive. I managed to get rid of 30+ obscure and unused email addresses using this nifty little tool.

The final feature I’ve seen wasn’t discovered until after my first Scrub (which, by the way, is started by clicking the cool little broom icon).

I never really figured it out until Scrubly flagged it, but I’m essentially a very lazy data reader. He very often put someone’s cell phone number in the house number field, or even reversed the last name, first name data. Like I said, I get lazy when I’m out and about, and in the back of my head is always the lofty idea that I can figure that out later.

Well, Scrubly explains it to you straight away, in its usual easy-to-use style. Again, if he asks you if you want, you can take over. I just do a click, yeah yeah, these days

Anything else you want to tell me?

• Layout, design, and a sense of humor meet at Scrubly: When you Scrubly, the graphic process is both entertaining and informative. Not only does Scrubly have a very clean interface that shows you exactly where you are, but it also has some fun little messages to read while you wait (yes, I like to watch the process…). I’m not going to throw any spoilers, you can check it out for yourself.
• The Free Version: As we all know, there is no such thing as a free lunch, especially on the Internet. However, there is a very good free version of Scrubly that you can sign up for. There are no ads, no spyware, you get the full product. It’s limited to 250 addresses, which is more than enough to try it out for business purposes, or even for your home address book. I used the free version first before upgrading.
• The full/paid versions: There are two basic pay-as-you-go options. You have the one hit and the yearly subscription. The only one is for those who have a whole address book that they want to clean and will need to clean it once every two or three years. Then there is the annual subscription, which allows you to mop whenever and wherever you want. Both paid versions are unlimited regarding addresses.