Samsung Kies is described as 'Software application used to communicate between the latest Samsung devices. It is used for backup, data transfer and firmware updates' and is an app in the backup & sync category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Samsung Kies for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Android, Android Tablet, Mac and Windows Phone apps. The best Samsung Kies alternative is AkrutoSync. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Droid Explorer or Samsung SideSync. Other great apps like Samsung Kies are MOBILedit!, HiSuite, floAt's Mobile Agent and SyncMe.
Allowed me to sync Outlook calendar with my phone after Kies failed.