If you're only using the cloud to house blog drafts or temporary design files, that possible lack of privacy might not be an issue. The downside is that they retain the encryption keys and can unencrypt your files without your permission. On the upside, this means that they can speed up data transfers when integrating with other apps. But as we've seen over the years with some highly publicized issues with cloud storage privacy, it doesn't work that way, even when the files are encrypted during transfer.ĭropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, for example, utilize server-side encryption. Once you've uploaded your files to the cloud, how safe are they really? In an ideal world, there would be only one key that could open the 'file cabinet': your username and password. So if every solution does all the things, how do you decide? Here are some of the other features you should keep your eye out for as you're trying out options. Or close to it-so you can easily file everything from plain text documents to massive design or video files.

If you're storing important info in the cloud, there's no room for tech glitches and lost files. Because what good is cloud storage if you can't find the files again? Did I mention you could access files on your phone? Files are optimized and easy to use on devices with small screens.Įasy organization with folders and search functionality. You can access your files from your computer, your phone, someone else's phone, whatever suits you. Go to any marketing page on any cloud storage website, and you'll see the following features advertised: I tried a bunch of different apps, and here's what I found. Since the sales pages all looked eerily similar, I realized that I had to dive deep and do some testing on my own. And since I often work with massive design and video files, you bet I was going to do some serious price comparisons to get the most storage for my investment. I planned on storing sensitive data, so I was looking for something secure. But when I started moving my own personal and business files into the cloud, I wanted to be sure I was using the best tool for the job. They seemed to come standard with the remote businesses that I worked with. Naturally, my first introduction to cloud storage was through two big names: Google Drive and Dropbox.

How to get cloud storage free