Nowadays, there are a lot of different cloud storage providers. Competition between them is enormous. Consumers are lots which one they should choose for their personal/business use. In this article, you will find an explanation of the main advantages of some trustworthy cloud-based storage services. This information aims to help users to make the right choice.
The difference between online backup and cloud storage
It is essential to have a clear understanding of what exactly “cloud storage” is all about. Otherwise, you will end up with software, which will not meet your expectations. Both of them are used to store files in remote data centers. They let users access to the files from different devices. Online backup is even sometimes confusingly called “cloud backup.” The difference is that online backup works as disaster recovery, and cloud storage is used for fast file access and smooth collaboration.
Here is the best cloud storage we recommend to people:
Dropbox
Dropbox has desktop clients for such operating systems as Windows/Mac/Linux. You can use it on iOS/Android/Windows Phone. Dropbox lets users sync a wide range of different devices. Dropbox has many advantages, but the biggest one is its block-level file copying feature. Dropbox has a user-friendly approach to selective synchronization, which is called “smart sync.” Even if you turn sync off for folders, which are stored on the cloud, they will still be displayed in your sync folder. You can control bandwidth, which is used for uploads/downloads. The only disadvantage of Dropbox is that it offers only 2GB free of change. This space is enough only for small-scale needs. You can also Download Offline Installer of Dropbox to have access to your files when there is no access to the internet. Dropbox Offline Installer is the leading Cloud-Based Services, which is excellent for individual use, but it also offers corporate cloud accounts.
MEGA
MEGA allows users to share their files via a link. You will maintain control over your encryption key. It prevents other users from MEGA from scanning your content. MEGA is one of the most extensive storages, which you can use for free. MEGA is mainly used for uploading/sharing pirated video and audio content. You cannot set a custom password for your shared links, and it just generates a decryption key for those links. The only disadvantage of MEGA is its design, but as for share folders, editing, and having full access, it shows quite good results. If you want to use MEGA for free, you will get 50GB.
Amazon Drive
Amazon Drive can be used for synchronizing different devices, which run on Windows/MacOS/iOS/Android. It has a lot of great sync options. Amazon Drive supports selective sync, which can be configured by using the taskbar icon. You can settle the sync speed when the process of the file-transferring slow down the Internet activity. Users can get 5GB of free storage. Test this storage service and let us know your impressions.
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is famous for block-level file copying. The only problem is that it works only for Microsoft Office files. If you compare Microsoft OneDrive with most cloud storage services, its block-level copying option is much better than the rest. All users of Office Online/Office 365 speed up collaboration efforts. Microsoft OneDrive supports sync to control the bandwidth used. The selective sync option allows you to control what data is stored on your PC hard drive. Overall, Microsoft OneDrive offers 5GB of free storage.
SpiderOak ONE
SpiderOak is famous for its security and privacy. It offers zero-knowledge encryption, which is set by default. SpiderOak is not interested in holding on to user’s encryption keys. The company does not log file metadata. The data centers of SpiderOak are staffed by security round the clock. The company follows HIPAA requirements for transferring user’s data. SpiderOak ONE allows purging data from different synced devices. This option is great when your device is lost or stolen.
Conclusion
Our ranking of the best cloud storage providers is based on the most important features you will need in your work. The market for cloud storage is enormous and highly-competitive. Each of them has its pros and cons, so we did our research and test and came up with the most reliable and safe options for you to have a positive experience.
[Written by External Partner]