April 30, 2012 Online Storage Options, Use Them All

Recently Google announced and offered their much anticipated Google Drive cloud storage to the masses. For free an individual user can get 5 GB of online storage that can be easily shared across multiple devices with mobile access coming soon. This has added an additional choice to the growing number of cloud storage offerings for users, all of whom are scrambling for your money to buy more storage. Like any service the consumers are deciding on which one to go all in with. However, there is an alternative - use them all.

Cloud services are simple, convenient and relatively cheap additions to your home computing. As part of your backup strategy for your business or at home, cloud storage should not be your primary method. For the cost a home backup drive with 2 TB of space to save all your precious memories and data is still the best way to go. A home drive is under your control, safe and accessible. However, big clunky external hard drives do not make mobility or sharing an easy task for the parties involved. This is where cloud storage comes in.

With all the options that are now out there, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Microsoft SkyDrive, etc... they all offer anywhere from 2GB to 7GB each of free storage. If you use all 4 services mentioned you would get 19GB of online storage space. More if you go through the advertising and invitation perks with DropBox to get more free space.

Why would you go through the hassle to manage multiple sites? First is cost. This method there is no cost. Second is redundancy. Cloud services are only as reliable as the hosting and you want to be able to access your files right now. It hasn't happened yet, but there is a distinct possibility that a cloud service one day could lose data, your data. Third is space. If you are just storing documents then one service would be enough to support that. If you are storing photos and videos, those a space hogs and having multiple options for storing those helps you. Lastly is diversification, use each storage service for different reasons. Keep your documents on one service and only use it as a back up and another for sharing/collaboration. Don't let your personal and business files inter-mix intentionally or by accident.

There is no rule to say that a user can use only one cloud service. When you are being cost aware in this economy it is beneficial to use them all. Unless you absolutely need to have all your data in one location, there is no reason not to maximize what is offered.

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Posted in: Technology