Posted by Maria Dimitrova

Read this if: You want to choose a cloud computing storage option that suits your needs the best

Gain: Backup your files, access them anywhere from different devices. Share with a group of people you’ve chosen to give permission to access your data, enhance collaboration and efficiency of work performance in your business

Cost: Depending on the amount of data you want to store and the features of the storage option offers, it can be either free or extend to about 100GB/240$

Cloud computing is a recent innovation that takes advantage of server capabilities and instead of having to buy individual software licenses for each employee, by using cloud computing businesses can subscribe to a service that makes the applications it needs available on a per user basis. Consequently, businesses can manage their cloud computing resources in a way that allows them to control what applications they are using, and only pay for what they need, instead of having to buy a software licence for software like Microsoft Office which might only be needed occasionally.

The need for large on site storage facilities is also eliminated with cloud computing. Software and data is stored by the host on its servers, and only accessed by users when necessary. In addition, the security of having data backed up within the cloud itself makes business data management economical and individual users’ documents, photos, music and videos safely stored in case of a disaster. Cloud computing is also an excellent opportunity to enhance collaboration in companies and also to friends and family to share files.

See the following video which gives information about important factors to consider when deciding on a cloud computing provider:

Although it’s a relatively recent innovation, there is a wide variety of cloud computing services providers and applications. In order to save money and find a way to store in the cloud that will correspond to your needs the best, look at these options recommended by technology experts and users:

Cheap storage

In this category the winners are:

• Microsoft SkyDrive – a whole ton of space (25GB) for free

Disadvatages: No OSX, Android, or iOS support.

• Google User Managed Storage – Docs users get only 1GB of storage for free, which can be used for any type of file, but you can buy more space at very nice prices (20GB/$5, 80GB/$20, 200GB/$50, 1TB/$256) compared to the other options. Plus, Google Docs has excellent sharing and syncing capabilities and you can sync your Microsoft Office documents with it via Google’s Cloud Connect plug-in.

Disadvatages: The storage you buy can’t be pooled or shared with other Google Apps accounts. the extra storage you buy doesn’t apply to your Gmail account, so you’re still limited to the free 7+GB.

• YouSendIt – Primarily used for sharing, it is the best option price-wise only if you need unlimited storage space – 180$. If you need smaller space in the cloud, it’s not a viable option as it offers 2GB free storage (with many limitations on sharing), or $120 for only 5GB storage (with fewer limitations)!

• iDrive Sync – 5GB for free, or for $49.50 you get unlimited storage. Like Dropbox it has a desktop app, but unlike Dropbox you can sync folders that are outside of your main folder. It also keeps backups of all versions of your files for 30 days, just in case

Disadvantages: Reviewers say its web interface isn’t very good, it’s “buggy” and iPhone is the only mobile app it has.

Easy and convenient use

• Dropbox – You have a folder, you put stuff in it, and that folder is synced across all of your computers. You make a change to a Word doc in your Dropbox folder, save it, and it’s updated across all of your computers’ Dropbox folders.

Disadvantages: It’s one of the most expensive options, and the max size is 100GB (2GB/FREE, 50GB/$120, 100GB/$240)

Business Users

• Box.net – Its main focus is collaboration. The sharing features are really pretty good, with tools to manage workflow, versions, tasks, and comments. Reliability is also one of the advantages.

Disadvantages: A pretty expensive option – 5GB/FREE, 25GB/$120, 100GB/$240

• Egnyte – It offers remote backup plus local backup, employee and client file-server access, and collaboration tools. An optional local-drive tool speeds up the process of transferring new versions of files between your network and its servers and adds another layer of protection from data loss. It can drastically speed up your local file access, plus you can keep working even if your Internet connection fails. In those cases, the local drive will sync changes to the Egnyte servers when the connection is restored. You’ll pay $15/month for each basic account, with access to a total of 1TB storage. Once you exceed 10 accounts, per-user costs decrease, and you get unlimited storage. You’ll have to add $10/month for the 1TB bring-your-own-network-drive local storage service.

• Drive HQ – Although it’s aimed at business users, DriveHQ also caters for individuals with its free memberships and low cost subscription options. The service is professional and high quality but still easy enough to use for novice users. It offers a host of online collaboration features. The local folder synchronization options mean that everyone in the group can automatically be updated with the most recent version of each document in the shared folder. Security is, as you would hope for a business level service, well implemented and thorough. All uploads are handled using 128-bit SSL encryption, which is the current standard. Files can also be stored in encrypted form so that not even the data center managers can view them.

Disadvantages: With so many different pricing options, levels of service and types of service it can be difficult to choose exactly which plan is best for you. The free option offers 1Gb of storage space and 200Mb of downloads per month, but you can only get a free account if you sign up and use the DriveHQ software. By using different features in it you can increase your monthly download allowance.

An opinion about Drive HQ in an Internet discussion:

“I work at The Park Row Dental Practice., Leeds, UK. We are long term users of DriveHQ. For us it has been reliable and reasonably priced. Check it out.”

Functionality

• SugarSync – It is one of the favorite options among Internet reviewers for storage in the cloud as it has plenty of functions and advantages:

1. The files are kept in sync, across computers in real time;
2. Applications for all major smartphone operating systems
3. A user-friendly web interface;
4. Easy and intuitive sharing and collaboration;
5. High level encryption with redundancy across data centers
6. Keeps the last five versions of your documents
7. Auto-uploads the pictures you take on your phone
8. Speed throttling
9. A  Dropbox- like component called Magic Briefcase
10. A very good bonus program that allows you to get extra storage for free

Disadvantages: It’s not the cheapest option but is in the middle in terms of price: 5GB/FREE, 30GB/$50, 60GB/$100, 100GB/$150, 250GB/$250, 500GB/$400.

A reviewer shares about SugarSync:

“SugarSync it is for me. Works like a breeze. Their Android, BB, iPhone app is easy to view pics, share important files via just an email address and comes with a great interface for managing multiple computers via one single login. Best part is that once you have configured the folder to be synced, you need not worry about dropping it anywhere or uploading it online. SugarSync takes care of it for me.”

Music lovers

• Amazon Cloud Drive – It distinguishes itself with its capability of streaming your music to you via the web or an Android application. Your first 5GB are free, and if you buy any album (which are almost always significantly cheaper than they are in iTunes) you’re automatically upgraded to 20GB free.

Disadvantages: Its interface is fairly basic and it isn’t much more than a hard drive in the cloud, but if that’s all you need, it’s a good option.

There are also users who prefer to store different types of files using different cloud services:

“I have been using Google Docs for all my file storage, Picasa for pics, but ever since LaLa was ate by the big Apple I haven’t found a great home for all my music. I really like services that are specialized/specific; One for docs, one for music, one for pics, etc. Not sure how any of these services handle MP3 files, but something like mp3tunes.com has an android or iphone app which makes it ideal for storing all my music there”