Storing files remotely rather than locally boasts an array of advantages for both home and business\u00a0users. Here are the\u00a0Top Ten Advantages of Using Online Storage Services<\/a>:<\/p>\n 1. Cost:<\/strong>\u00a0Backing up your data isn\u2019t always cheap, especially when you factor in the expense of the equipment needed to do so \u2013 think external hard drives or backup tapes. There is also the cost of the time it takes to manually complete routine backups. Online storage services reduce much of the cost associated with traditional backup methods, providing ample cloud storage space for a low monthly fee.<\/p>\n 2. Invisibility:\u00a0<\/strong>For all intents and purposes, cloud storage is invisible; with no physical presence, it doesn\u2019t take up valuable space at home or in the office.<\/p>\n 3. Security:\u00a0<\/strong>Storing confidential or sensitive information in the cloud is often more secure than storing it locally, especially for businesses. With online storage services, data is encrypted both during transmission and while at rest, ensuring no unauthorized users can access the files.<\/p>\n 4. Automation:\u00a0<\/strong>The biggest issue most consumers and businesses have with backing up is follow through; it simply just doesn\u2019t get done. Online storage services make the tedious process of backing up easy to accomplish through automation. You just select what and when you want to back up, and the service does the rest.<\/p>\n *** See the guy up above. If only he had automated his backup process.<\/p>\n 5. Accessibility:\u00a0<\/strong>From tablets to smartphones, netbooks to desktops, we\u2019re using more devices on a daily basis than ever before, and toggling files between each of these devices can be cumbersome and complicated. Not so with online storage services. You can access your account from any internet connection whether you’re on a mobile browser or your work computer.<\/p>\n You can store any file type in the service, including photos, video, and documents, and then access them from any of your Windows PCs or mobile devices. The service organizes your files by type for you, so it’s easy to find what you need.<\/p>\n 6. Syncing:\u00a0<\/strong>Syncing ensures your files are automatically updated across all of your devices. This way, the latest version of a file you saved on your desktop is available on your smartphone.<\/p>\n 7. Sharing:\u00a0<\/strong>Whether you want to share a single photo or an entire folder with hundreds of documents, online storage services allow you to share files with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n Speaking from personal experience: I use Dropbox to share board documents with the board of directors of a local charity that I serve on. Member’s age in range from early-30’s\u00a0too well into their 80’s. It says something about the ease of Dropbox when our “seniors” show up at a meeting with printed documents they were able to access on their home computers in a couple of keystrokes.<\/p>\n 8. Collaboration <\/strong>\u2013 Online storage services are also ideal for collaboration purposes. They allow multiple people to edit and collaborate on a single file or document. You don\u2019t have to worry about tracking the latest version or who has made what changes.<\/p>\n Speaking from personal experience: We use Google Drive at dlvr.it to collaborate on blog posts, headlines, documents, images, strategic planning, and much more. I highly recommend this real-time\u00a0collaborative<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>tool.<\/p>\n 9. Protection:\u00a0<\/strong>Cloud storage serves as an added layer of data protection for your precious and irreplaceable files. Backups are kept in a secure location that is physically removed from the originals.<\/p>\n 10. Recovery:\u00a0<\/strong>In the event of catastrophic data loss, you\u2019ll have backups of all your original files so you can restore them with zero downtime.<\/p>\n To help compare the numerous services, CNET<\/a>\u00a0and PCMag<\/a> recently updated\u00a0their guides to the most popular cloud storage services, covering how they work and their strengths and weaknesses. To get a\u00a0clear\u00a0overall picture, we put together\u00a0an easy to read chart from these guides highlighting the specifications and cost of the most popular\u00a0services:<\/p>\n Confused? I am too.<\/p>\n Here’s a quick discussion\u00a0of the pros and cons from CNET’s post<\/a> on\u00a0OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive and Box: Which cloud storage service is right for you?<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> If you have a Windows PC, tablet and phone, and need to get to your files from any device with little effort.<\/p>\n Where it excels:<\/strong>\u00a0OneDrive works seamlessly with Windows devices because it’s built into the Windows operating systems running on PCs, tablets and Windows Phone. It’s easy to open and edit files from OneDrive in Microsoft’s other applications, such as Word or the Photos app. Since OneDrive is closely tied with Office, it’s a good choice for anyone who uses Office frequently.<\/p>\n Where it falls flat:<\/strong>\u00a0If you don’t have all Windows devices, OneDrive doesn’t have as much appeal. There are apps for other devices, but it’s clear that OneDrive is meant for the Windows set<\/strong>.<\/p>\n To use OneDrive, you must sign up for a Microsoft account, which gives you access to Outlook, Xbox Live, and other Microsoft services. Whether or not you want all those extras is up to you.<\/p>\n OneDrive for Business currently (as of early 2015) has a limit of 20,000 files that you can store in your account. Microsoft says it is working to change this, but we don’t have exact timing on when that limit will disappear.<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> Simple sharing when you use tons of different kinds of devices.<\/p>\n Where it excels:<\/strong>\u00a0Dropbox’s greatest strength is that it works equally well on PCs and Macs, Android and iOS. The service is so simple and elegantly designed that it’s easy for anyone to master. Its desktop applications seamlessly blend with your computer’s file system.<\/p>\n Where it falls flat:\u00a0<\/strong>In my experience, Dropbox’s website design is one of the weakest of the cloud storage services. It’s simple and clean, but you can’t control the way your files are displayed. However, you do get many more sharing options on the Dropbox website, which almost makes up for the bare-bones design.<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> Google diehards, or anyone who wants a few office tools with their cloud storage.<\/p>\n Where it excels:<\/strong>\u00a0Google Drive requires very little setup if you already have a Google account. What’s more, if you use Gmail, it’s easy to save attachments from your email directly to Drive with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n Where it falls flat:<\/strong>\u00a0While you can organize your files and photos in Google Drive, there’s no way to upload photos from your phone directly to the service – automatically. Instead, Google has an Auto Backup feature<\/a> in the Google+ mobile apps, which sends your photos to your Google+ profile. Ideally, Google needs to create a central space where I can store and upload all of my files that combines the best of Google+’s photo editing features and Google Drive’s document editing tools.<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> Teams of employees working together on projects, and large companies that need a secure place to share documents with everyone.<\/p>\n Where it excels:<\/strong>\u00a0For business customers, Box is a great choice because it comes with so many tools for collaboration and file privacy control.<\/p>\n Where it falls flat:<\/strong>\u00a0While anyone can sign up for a free individual account on Box, the service’s endless list of sharing and privacy features can be lost on someone who’s just using the service for personal storage. Because of all those features, it can feel overwhelming to navigate the Box website if you’re only trying to manage a few files and folders.<\/p>\n![\"Choosing](\"https:\/\/dlvrit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Shoud-Have-Backed-Up.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Amazon Cloud Drive<\/a> offers unlimited storage to store all of your valuable data securely.\u00a0Unlimited photo storage + 5 GB for videos and files are free<\/strong> with your Prime membership! They also offer Unlimited Everything to store all of your photos, videos, files and documents for just $59.99 per year.<\/div>\n<\/a>OneDrive<\/a>‘s motto is:\u00a0One place for everything in your life.\u00a0Keep all your files and photos in OneDrive. Access and share them from your phone, tablet, and computer.<\/p>\n<\/a>When it comes to photos, Dropbox has made a bit of a play to make you want to upload all of your photos there. They’ll give you up to 3GB of space for free<\/a> just by enabling auto-upload on your computer, iOS, or Android device. The beauty of using Dropbox to organize all of your photos is that they’re easily backed up, seamlessly, in one place.<\/p>\n<\/a>Google Drive<\/a> is an excellent example of a comprehensive solution: Part online collaborative office suite, and part cloud storage platform, Google Drives offers everything you need to stay productive.<\/p>\nGoogle Drive vs. Dropbox<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/span>OneDrive<\/a> (formerly SkyDrive)<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Dropbox<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Google Drive<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Box<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>Amazon Cloud Drive<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n