Another aspect of cloud computing we should get into is cloud storage, or online file storage. If you work on several different computers or mobile devices, whether from work or home, then this is something that can be very useful. Being able to access your files whenever and wherever you are is a valuable thing. I have used online file storage and sync for years now, and I couldn’t do without it.
What Is Cloud Storage?
Cloud storage is quite simply storing your files online. You choose a cloud storage provider, upload your files, and you can then access them wherever you are, on any device you have handy at the time. You can store all types of files, documents, music, photos and video, anything that is important to you and you don’t want to lose.
One of the many benefits of online file storage is saving on costs associated with file storage, like paying for additional hard drive space on your computer or buying an external hard drive to store your files. Your data is also available whenever you want it, and you can access it from wherever you want to on whichever device you have available at the time. This is ideal if your computer crashes and you lose everything, you will still have access to the files you stored online. It is also great for when you upgrade to a new computer, or buy a new mobile device, because you can easily download or sync your online files.
Some providers will allow file syncing over several devices, some only allow file storage. All of the storage providers below have a free offering, and for many this will be all you need. Some also have the option of upgrading to more space or features for an additional fee. The choice is yours, but it is possible to have free cloud storage for your personal files.
Free Cloud Storage Providers
Dropbox is my personal favorite for online file storage. I’ve used it for a couple of years now and haven’t been disappointed. It offers you 2GB of free space, with the option of increasing to 16GB by referring people to sign up as well. If this is not enough, you can pay for more space, but I haven’t had to do that yet.
Dropbox is more than just file storage though. It syncs your files to all of your computers by installing a ‘Dropbox’ folder. You place all of the files you want to sync into this folder and you can then access them on any of your devices, or through the Dropbox website itself. This is ideal for me because I have a desktop computer, a laptop and a mobile phone, so whichever device I am on, I can easily just open up any file I want and pick up where I left off. When I save and close the file, I know it will then automatically sync with all of my devices. You also have the ability to turn on file sharing so others can access your files as well.
If you don’t have a lot of files and you don’t need a lot of space, I recommend giving Dropbox a try. Click through to the site via my referral link and if you sign up then we both get an extra 250MB of storage.
SugarSync is something I’ve been playing around with recently. It gives you 5GB of free storage space that allows you to backup, store and sync your files over multiple devices. You can access, share and edit your files and folders from anywhere you want. The changes you make to a file on one computer are immediately updated on your other computers.
Unlike Dropbox, you can sync files from anywhere on your computer. There is no limit to the file size you can upload and it can stream data directly to your mobile device. There’s also a cool little music player that will play your music files when you’re in the web app. You can also earn free bonus space by referring others to SugarSync. If you click through my link and sign up for the free account, we both get an extra 500MB of storage.
SpiderOak offers you 2GB of free storage to start with, which can be increased to 50GB with referrals. You can sync your files across Windows, Mac and Linux, and they have a mobile app for iOS and Android.
Amazon Cloud Drive offers 5 GB of free storage, with the ability to increase that for a fee. It is ideal if you want to store your music in the cloud as it has a web app, Amazon Cloud Player, that will stream your music. You can upload your own music, or buy music from the Amazon MP3 store and then play your music with the app. You can upload other types of files as well, photos, videos and documents. With these files though, it is purely for storage. You can access your files and download them to any of your computers, but you cannot work on your files and have them sync automatically like with Dropbox.
OpenDrive is another online storage, backup and file syncing service that offers a personal free account with 5GB of storage. The free account has some limits placed on file size, bandwith and speed, but can be accessed across multiple platforms and devices.
ZumoDrive is another file syncing service that starts you off with 2GB for free, which can again be upgraded for a fee. Upload any of your files to ZumoDrive and you can access them on any of your devices across multiple platforms. It integrates well with iTunes, iPhoto and Picasa for your music and photos.
Box offers a free 5GB of file storage. Install the app to sync your files to the cloud and have access across all devices. It is a file syncing service combined with a web based productivity suite.
Windows Live Skydrive offers 25GB of online data storage for free. It is designed to integrate with Windows Live Mail and Microsoft Office Live. The downside is you cannot have files larger than 50MB.
This list is by no means complete, and there are always new cloud computing companies popping up all the time. If you have never used online file storage before, then these are a good place to start. You don’t need to spend any money, and you can try a few of them out to see which service you prefer. If you have a lot of files to store, then you can spread your files over several different companies and still not have to spend any money. Cloud computing storage is the ideal way to keep your files safe while still having access to them when you want.
