The Best Online Cloud Backup Services to Keep Yourself Protected
With technology being what it is today, not only is having your files protected important, it is also just so easy to do that it would be inexcusable not to have a back up service or two in use. From precious photos to those hilarious spur of the moment videos, and of course the all important work documents, there are a wealth of services out there to meet your needs.
But which are worth your time?
Dropbox
Any writer of lists offering potential cloud backup services would be remiss if they didn’t mention Dropbox. With this app you designate a folder on your computer to be your “dropbox”. This folder is then constantly synced so that your files are backed up without you ever having to click a button.
Dropbox is free initially and will give you 2 GB of space. There are ways to get more space without paying a penny such as referring friends, but if you do need a little extra, you can always opt to pay for the pro plan and get an enormous 1 TB of storage.
Google Drive
Like Dropbox, Google Drive is free to any with a Google account (which isn’t hard to get). Initially aimed at documents, Drive has meshed together with other Google services allowing users to easily backup other files, such as photos or videos.
Though it’s not necessarily as simply as Dropbox to backup a variety of files, Google Drive does offer a significant 15 GB of space for free, with more available if you want to pay. This includes a top tier option of 30 TB!
OneDrive
Microsoft’s offering is much the same as Google Drive with the obvious difference that, while Drive is easier to use if you’re working within Google’s ecosystem, so OneDrive is easier to use if you’re working within Microsoft’s.
Free will get you 5 GB of space to back up your files, but should you subscribe to Office 365, Microsoft’s cloud Office suite, you will have a whole 1 TB of space to fill.
iCloud
While Apple’s cloud backup solution does work with Windows it is primarily aimed at people who are comfortably living in the Apple ecosystem. Providing a seamless backup experience across your Apple devices, iCloud will take care of your pictures, videos, music, and more. Allowing easy access wherever you’re logged in.
What Else?
It’s important to remember that, whichever cloud backup service you choose, the data you are backing up has to be sent to them, and that can be expensive if you’re not careful. Few mobile network providers offer packages that would make cloud backup over the cellular network feasible. Be sure to set your devices and apps to only backup over when hooked up to a decent internet connection, such as fibre optic.
With so many great cloud backup solutions out there there’s no excuse for losing those precious files again.
