System and method for remote storage and retrieval of data

A data storage and retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

• comparing each document on a computing device that is intended to be synchronized with the documents presently stored at a hosting environment to determine whether any of the documents stored on the remote computing device need to be replicated at the hosting environment;
• if a document on the computing device that is intended to be synchronized is not also stored at the hosting environment, replicating the document at the hosting environment such that the same version of the document exists on the computing device and at the hosting environment;
• if a document on the computing device that is intended to be synchronized is stored at the hosting environment, but the data in the document stored on the computing device is different from the data in the document stored at the hosting environment, and the document stored on the computing device contains a more recent version of the data, replicating the document at the hosting environment such that the same version of the document exists on the computing device and at the hosting environment;
• if a document on the computing device that is intended to be synchronized is stored at the hosting environment, but the data in the document stored at the hosting environment is different from the data in the document stored on the computing device, and the document stored at the hosting environment contains a more recent version of the data, replicating the document on the computing device such that the same version of the document exists on the computing device and at the hosting environment;
• if a document on the computing device that is intended to be synchronized is not stored at the hosting environment, replicating the document at the hosting environment such that the same version of the document exists on the computing device and at the hosting environment;
• if a document at the hosting environment no longer exists on the computing device, deleting the document from the hosting environment;
• synchronizing the documents between the computing device and the hosting environment;
• and
• providing a virtual desktop interface for remotely accessing the documents stored at the hosting environment with the computing device by interacting with a virtual desktop workspace, whereby the documents can be remotely accessed regardless of whether the computing device includes an appropriate application for accessing the documents.