Rating of cloud services. Which cloud storage to choose
In this article, I will introduce you to some online storage services that provide free cloud space. And finally, they will be appreciated.
Cloud storage has gained immense popularity due to improved security, larger storage spaces and portability. You can share documents and upload files anytime, anywhere. Access to such repositories is carried out in one click. This is the cloud that is trusted more and more. Today the Internet is simply overflowing with cloud service providers. Most of them offer a certain amount of storage for free, while some work exclusively on a paid basis. So what is free anyway?
Google Drive
Web giant Google provides 15 GB of online storage space for free for Gmail, Google Drive and G+ photos. The space can be increased by purchasing (and then using) a Chromebook laptop or other smart devices manufactured by HTC, Motorola, etc. However, after a certain period, such promotional free storage space on Google Drive may require payment.
Box
Box provides a range of features for business and enterprise customers. However, you can still create a free account for personal use. The company provides 10 GB of free cloud space to each new user. While there are no notifications on the site about a bonus for attracting new users, you can still get additional free space using the service on LG, Sony, Dell, HP and Samsung devices. Some offers are valid for a limited time.
Copy
Copy is becoming more and more popular. The user interface and service packages of this service are simply amazing. When you subscribe, you get 15 GB of cloud space for free. There is also a bonus for attracting new subscribers. Invite your friend to sign up for Copy, and if you successfully sign up for a new subscription, you'll both receive 5GB of free space!
Dropbox
Dropbox gives every new user 2GB of free storage. You can also get more Dropbox cloud space for free by inviting others by completing the beginner's guide, joining their social media profiles, uploading your photo, sending a review, linking your account to your iOS mailbox, and more.
OneDrive
Microsoft's OneDrive is a simple, popular and secure cloud storage service. When subscribing, the user receives 15 GB of free space. You can also get more free storage by inviting friends and activating the photo backup feature. For each successful referral subscription, both users receive a bonus of 0.5 GB (maximum 5 GB). Activating photo backup will earn you an extra 3GB of OneDrive storage.
ADrive
ADrive's personal subscription plan offers a decent 50GB of free online storage space. ADrive does not currently offer bonus space. But the initial 50 gigs is a lot. 😉
Bitcasa
Each new Bitcasa user receives 5 GB of free cloud space. The company offers up to 20 GB of free space, of which 15 GB can be obtained by referring friends and acquaintances.
SpiderOak
When you subscribe to SpiderOak you will receive 2GB of free online storage. But you can still earn up to 10GB of extra storage by referring friends. Each successful referral adds 1 GB of free space to your SpiderOak account.
Yunio
Upon registration, the Chinese company Yunio offers 100 GB of free space. This is a really good offer. But that is not all! Free space increases with daily use of the service. Using this service, you can add 100 MB of additional space daily.
Mega
Kim Dotcom's Mega service promises security, privacy and broad functionality. Mega provides 50 GB of free space to each new user. There is no bonus space available at this time, so you will have to pay for additional space.
Firedrive
Firedrive gives every new user 20GB of free online storage. If you want more, then you'll need to sign up for a paid plan as Firedrive doesn't offer any bonuses at the moment.
SurDoc
When you subscribe to SurDoc you will receive 100 GB of free storage for 1 year. This volume can be increased to 1 TB by attracting friends, disseminating information about the company on social networks, participating in surveys, linking devices, etc.
Shared.com
Shared provides 100GB of cloud storage to every new Basic plan user. They do not offer bonus plans. To get more space, you need to purchase a pro account.
MediaFire
The fairly popular file hosting service MediaFire provides each new user with 10 GB of free online space. You can also increase volume by referring friends, linking social media accounts, installing MediaFire apps on your devices, etc.
Amazon Cloud Drive
Retail giant Amazon also provides a cloud storage service. Amazon Cloud Drive offers every new user 5GB of free storage. There is no bonus for referring friends to this service. But, Amazon's website states that Fire phone users will get unlimited free cloud storage for photos taken with the Fire phone.
Apple iCloud Drive
Apple has made its iCloud online storage publicly available. Now everyone can use iCloud Drive. Apple provides 5 GB of cloud space for free. The company's website states that they do not have bonus space.
Yandex
Russian Internet giant Yandex is offering its new users 10 GB of free online space. However, the company does not mention any bonus offers.
Cubby
When you subscribe, Cubby offers 5GB of free cloud storage. You can increase this amount to 25 GB using the new user acquisition program.
4Shared
File sharing service 4Shared provides 15 GB of free cloud space. There is no bonus program for attracting new users. However, you can increase your disk space by upgrading to a more advanced subscription plan.
Mozy
Online backup and file synchronization service provider Mozy provides each new user with 2 GB of free cloud storage space. There is also a referral program that allows users to earn more space.
And now the comparison!
I've prepared a table to help you compare the free offers of the above 20 cloud storage providers. The information in the list is presented from the lowest offer to the highest.
And here is the diagram for you!
Thus, at the moment, Yunio, SurDoc and Shared.com provide the maximum free cloud space (100 GB). Remember, the SurDoc service provides 100 GB of space only for the first year of use. Yunio and Shared.com have no such restrictions. Mega and ADrive came in second place with 50GB of free online storage space. The Firedrive service will give you 20 GB for free. All others offer from 15 GB and below. We wish you good luck in choosing the right provider for your cloud storage needs. Good luck!
Website. Today, as promised, we continue the topic of cloud data storage.
The last article was the beginning of this extensive topic.
And I will present to your attention the best free cloud storage. Now many companies are trying to create clouds for the convenience of transferring and storing heavy files.
Rating of the best free cloud storages
In order not to get lost in searching for good sites for saving files, I have provided a list of the most popular free cloud storages.
I would like to note that these Internet storage sites are extremely popular among most users. And for blogging and further monetization of personal platforms, this is a good bonus in the deck of necessary platforms. So, meet the 9 best cloud data storage services.
9 Best Cloud Data Storages
- 1. Cloud Mail ru
Cloud Mail ru (http://cloud.mail.ru) - complete trust, as well as the maximum volume of disk array (100 gigabytes for data storage).
This service is the undisputed leader in the family of cloud storage services on a free basis.
Wherever you are, you can always use the necessary file using a laptop or personal mobile device as a working tool.
The Mail ru cloud is designed for any platform, be it Windows, Linux 64-32 bit, MacOS, Android.
You can study this service more clearly and get the full amount of necessary information at http://help.mail.ru/cloud_web.
By the way, just recently this service announced a new opportunity for developing shared folders with other users. You can mutually drop the necessary information into the created folders.
How will this method be useful for you? This is a potentially convenient option to successfully complete an archive with photos from memorable events.
Your cooperation will provide an opportunity to collect your favorite photographs in a common folder and carry out group work on the development and completion of documents.
Any interesting moments from the life of common parties can be sent to the archive of a common folder. This is a good opportunity for students to complete various manuals and notes.
In other words, this option is quite convenient and efficient.
Mega
- 2. Cloud data storageMega
Mega cloud data storage, with the ability to use 50 GB for personal needs. Having managed to invite one of your visitors to the service, you will receive additional gigabytes.
As they say, there is a good opportunity to get additional free memory thanks to advertising of this service.
All your files are encrypted on your personal computer, and Mega has no way to view the backed up data set. Web address https://mega.co.nz.
So, you have 50 GB in reserve and attract interested users to Mega to increase the disk array. Believe me, an excellent service for most bloggers.
MediaFire
- 3. File storageMediaFire
MediaFire File Storage (https://www.mediafire.com). 10 GB of personal space. You get 8 GB of load for announcing the service on social networks or from invited clients.
SkyDrive
- 4. Online data storageSkyDrive
Internet data storage SkyDrive is designed for the Windows 8 platform.
The idea to create this service belongs to Microsoft, which allows you not to worry about the lack of interaction with this operating system and installed programs developed for this platform.
With a license for Windows 8-8.1, the SkyDrive service gives you 25 GB of personal storage. Without a licensed program, the client has a smaller memory size - 7 gigabytes.
Copy
- 5. Network storageCopy
Network storage Copy (https://www.copy.com), with the ability to accept 15 GB for personal needs. The cloud interface includes a full set of necessary functions, which allows you not to get lost when visiting this service for the first time.
Copy cloud storage works with all platforms and also gives you the ability to encrypt your files.
The referral program allows you to increase your personal reserve with an additional 5 gigabytes of disk space.
4Sync
- 6. 4Sync cloud storage
Cloud storage 4Sync (http://ru.4sync.com/) is a cloud service quite convenient in its parameters and well-known among Runet users. Online storage is designed for most platforms. Working with 4Sync, you get 15 GB of free space. The rest of the reserve is purchased for money.
Google Disk
- 7.Google Disk
Google Drive (https://www.google.com) is directly associated with Google, where online services (Gmail, Docs) are directly integrated with the named storage. The resulting size for a block of various materials is 15 GB.
You can download Google Drive on various mobile devices. This will give you the opportunity to work from any place you choose. But there are a number of disadvantages of this file storage.
By putting personal documents in a folder, you are deprived of standard protection, which once again calls into question the storage of private information. If blogosphere your strong point, then without a doubt you have an inbox on Google.
In this case, mail, Google documents, images will automatically take up space on the Google Drive service. That is why 15 GB is a fairly relative size for this “cloud”.
True, by creating a new account on Google without email services and other additional services, you can maintain the original storage size.
Yandex Disk
- 8. Yandex Disk
Yandex Disk is a domestic cloud network storage located at https://disk.yandex.ru.
It is this storage of files on the Internet that is especially popular among the majority of Russian users on the Internet.
The Yandex company constantly refreshes the mechanism of the personal system, developing new platforms, analyzing and sorting according to various criteria a fairly large number of virtual platforms (blogs, websites, online stores, etc.).
That is why in the next article after this I will dwell in more detail on the functionality of Yandex Disk file storage.
Namely, I will consider how to use this “cloud” for personal needs, and in the process of blogging. And we’ll tell you how to save a set of necessary files on Yandex Disk.
Don’t forget, in order not to miss a post about Yandex Disk, click on the blog news site.
Dropbox
- 9. Dropbox
Dropbox is a universal file storage with a wide range of applications, where it is possible to synchronize data both on a group of computers and on mobile devices.
The interface of this service will be understandable to any novice user. www dropbox com is a cloud storage address with a rather unobtrusive and pleasant design.
After registering on the cloud storage website, you need to install the dropbox program by going to .
The created folder with a set of various information will be synchronized between the Dropbox storage and any computer put into operation.
Thanks to the wi-fi connection, it is possible to use email while working from any portable device. The only problem is the small size of the offered space for storing files on the Internet.
2 GB of free personal storage. The remaining size can be purchased for money or increased through a referral program.
9 Best Cloud Data Storages - Conclusion
The clear line of other cloud data storages is blurred due to the small amount of workspace. The greatest preference is given to the free services listed above. Now you know the 9 best cloud data storage services.
Use them and feel the convenience in your daily work. If the information was useful to you, then please click on the social network buttons below, and let your friends also know about the 9 best cloud data storages.
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In this article we will talk about the best cloud storage systems of 2017 that will allow you to store your information remotely, conveniently and securely.
For some computer owners, finding enough space to store all the data they have purchased is a real challenge. Some people invest in larger hard drives. Others prefer external storage devices such as flash drives or CDs. Desperate computer owners may delete entire folders of old files to make room for new information. But some choose to rely on the growing trend - cloud storage.
Although cloud storage sounds like it is associated with weather fronts and storm systems, it really refers to storing data on a third-party storage system maintained by a third party. Instead of storing information on your computer's hard drive or other local storage device, you store it in a remote database. The Internet provides communication between your computer and the database.
What is the difference between cloud storage and hard drive?
Cloud storage has a number of advantages over traditional data storage. For example, if you store data in a cloud storage system, you can retrieve that data from anywhere you have internet access. You don't need to carry a physical storage device with you or use the same computer to save and retrieve your information. With the right storage system, you could even allow other people to access the data.
So, cloud storage is convenient and offers great flexibility, but how do you choose it?
The best cloud storage services of 2017
Dropbox – cross-platform and convenient
is one of the only services that offers customers work on Linux and Blackberry, along with conventional operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
The latest update adds the ability to sign PDFs directly from Dropbox, as well as some iOS-specific features like sharing files in iMessage and watching videos from Dropbox while working in another app on your iPad.
The free account comes with a measly 2GB. This is a lot for documents, but if you want to store any media files, then you will need more space. You can upgrade to the 1TB plan for RUB 600 per month, but Dropbox offers 500 MB of additional free space for each friend you invite to the Dropbox service. But for a free account there is a storage limit of 16 GB.
You can get another 1GB by setting up a mailbox account, and you'll get 250MB for learning the basics of Dropbox. If you enable the camera upload feature, you will get 3GB and automatically back up your smartphone and tablet photos to the cloud. We've seen situations where users received 50 GB of storage on Dropbox for two years.
Dropbox works on the same principle as other cloud storage services. It creates a specially designated folder on your disk, which is then synchronized with the service. Therefore, if you want to upload any file to a cloud storage service, you just need to transfer it. But on smartphones and PDAs the process is a little different: you can select files for offline access on your tablet or smartphone (they're all offline by default), and offline editing is some of the best we've seen.
Folders and files can also be shared with other users, but you cannot set permissions for a Basic account, so your files can be edited and deleted not only by you, but also by other users of this service. The basic account isn't a complete disaster, though, since Dropbox backs up any changes to files for 30 days.
If you pay 600 rubles per month, you will automatically receive a Dropbox Pro account, which will allow you to manage files and rights to them.
Verdict on Dropbox – Should I use it or not?
Dropbox is the best service of its kind and has many competitors. But nevertheless, he is the only one who takes first place in terms of convenience, comfort and cross-platform functionality, which is very important and necessary today.
Microsoft OneDrive - convenient, accessible and native for Windows users
From Microsoft is a cloud storage service for Windows users as it is built into Windows 10. However, the basic account only offers 5GB of free storage. This is enough for some people, but 15GB was previously available. Of course, there are paid plans that offer 50 GB of memory for only 150 rubles per month. And if you pay for the Office 365 Personal application for 4,200 rubles per year, you will automatically receive 1 TB of space.
OneDrive uses Microsoft's modern user interface design. Folders and files can be created online, including in Office and OneNote formats, through limited integration with Office Online. Selective sync was introduced with Windows 10, meaning you don't have to have all your OneDrive files taking up space on every laptop and PC.
There is also a feature that allows you to remotely access files on another computer through the OneDrive website. It should be noted that Microsoft reserves the right to inspect your files for anything it deems inappropriate. These may be copyrighted materials or items of an explicit nature.
Verdict on Microsoft OneDrive – To use or not?
If you're a Windows user, it makes sense to sign up for a free 5GB account, and if you're willing to spend a little, at least RUB 150 per month for 50GB, then this service is for you.
Google Drive is a great storage service from Google
Just as OneDrive connects to Microsoft products and iCloud connects to Apple, Google Drive is at the heart of the various online services that Google offers. You definitely should try it!
You get 15GB of free storage when you create a Google account - or link to an existing one. In fact, you already have a Google account if you use Gmail, Google Calendar, or even YouTube.
Storage space is shared between all of these services, so if you have large email attachments, they'll count at 15GB, and turning on automatic photo backup to Google+ from your smartphone will be the same.
Google used restrictions that you can upload photos no larger than 2048x2048 pixels, and videos no more than fifteen minutes long.
Google Drive works the same way as most storage services, with a local folder on your computer linked to a duplicate cloud version. Version control is supported, as well as real-time collaboration on documents using the Google Docs application. Clients are available on PC and Mac, with mobile versions for Android and iOS.
Overall, the app's interface is quite smart and easy to navigate. You can choose files to be available offline in mobile versions, and they can be edited if they were created in Google Docs and then synced when brought back online. For other formats (for example, Word) you need to open them in another application - this creates a duplicate.
Data stored on Google Drive, like Apple's, is encrypted in 128-bit AES rather than the 256-bit used by Box, OneDrive and Dropbox. Google says it won't search the contents of your information folder unless forced by law enforcement, and you can set up two-step verification on your account to add another layer of security.
Verdict on Google Drive – To use or not?
If you live in the Google universe, then this is a really great option for storing your information.
Mega – New Zealand storage service
Mega is a New Zealand company created in 2013 by German-born entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who is no longer related to it
Unlike some of its competitors, this service provides encryption in every part of the process. This way, everything you send to the cloud is encrypted locally, along the route, and at the destination server.
Mega itself has no way to access your information since you hold the encryption key. The result of all this is that everything you store on Mega can only be opened by you. For this, there are local clients for Windows, OS X and Linux, and there are also plug-ins for the Chrome and Firefox browsers. Applications are available for all modern operating systems.
The standard free package provides a whopping 50GB of storage. If that's not enough, you can purchase 500GB for RUB 6,000 per year, 2 TB (RUB 12,000 per year) or 4 TB (RUB 18,000 per year) and increase your bandwidth with each package so you can share files with friends and colleagues.
Verdict on Mega – To use or not?
With a generous free account, fast service, cross-platform appeal, and reliable service experience. Mega is a very good choice for most people looking for an online storage service for their information.
PCloud – get 10 GB for registration
Opening a new pCloud account will give you 10GB of free storage (double the OneDrive and five basic Dropbox offerings). The storage can be increased up to 20GB by completing various activities such as recommending friends (1GB per person), completing a tutorial (3GB) and various social media links, but the real temptation is the very reasonable prices of the larger storage options. For example, 500 GB will cost you about 200 rubles per month, while 2 TB (Premium Plus plan) can be purchased for 400 rubles per month. Among other things, there are clients available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, and you can also access your account through the website. The iPhone recently introduced a handy auto-delete feature that deletes photos from your phone after they've been copied to the cloud.
There are import options that can automatically transfer files from other cloud services, including Dropbox and Google Drive, which is handy when switching from one or just for an extra backup of important files.
As with all online storage, you can share your content with friends or colleagues by sending links or allowing access to folders and documents. They also provide permissions so you can determine whether someone can edit or just view the file. One good option for sharing information is a download link.
One of the most specialized features of pCloud is the folder Crypto Folder, in which you can place files that you want to protect from prying eyes, be it hackers or certain government agencies. The contents of this folder are encrypted locally on your device, and even pCloud employees will not be able to read it without your key.
Verdict on PCloud – To use or not?
PCloud plays well with other cloud storage providers, is easy to use, and offers plenty of free storage space, as well as very competitive rates for larger capacities. The Crypto folders option for security is also a nice feature, especially since it doesn't require encrypting the entire drive. Therefore, you should try this service.
Well, today we looked at the best cloud storage services for 2017. So now you need to make your choice.
Video: Cloud Technologies - Comparison
All owners of Apple equipment receive 5 GB in the “native” iCloud cloud service. Due to various restrictions, using this cloud is not always convenient, and the allocated space quickly runs out, and iCloud does not get along well with other people's systems.
Pricing for additional iCloud storage:
50 GB: 59 rub.
200 GB: 149 rub.
1 TB: 599 rub.
2 TB: RUB 1,490
For convenient data exchange between different platforms, gadgets and users, it is better to connect to a third-party service. The choice of clouds today is very extensive, there are both market old-timers and daring newcomers, corporate players and small companies.
The conditions and tariffs for each service change quite often; we offer the most up-to-date information as of the moment.
Dropbox
One of the most popular services is not very willing to give away space in the cloud. When the company supported and developed the Carousel and Mailbox applications, you could get several gigabytes of disk space for connecting programs to your account and uploading data.
Another 3 GB was given during testing of the automatic data upload function in the application.
Dropbox also had prize gigabytes when purchasing Android smartphones. However, they were issued for a year or two.
Nowadays there is no smell of such generosity; to get an additional place you will have to invite friends. Finding someone who has not yet registered with Dropbox is quite a quest. There are schemes involving creating fake accounts and changing the MAC address of the network card, but sooner or later the fake friends are exposed and the space in the cloud is taken away.
Prices for additional storage in Dropbox:
1 TB: $9.99 ($8.25 if paid annually)
2 TB: $15 ($12.50)
Unlimited space: $25 ($20)
2 upon registration + up to 16 GB (500 MB per friend).
Result: the most common cloud service is not as generous as it was a few years ago. You can expand your space only with the help of real friends who do not yet have an account.
Google Drive
Google initially provides 15 GB of cloud storage (versus 2 GB for Dropbox), which will be enough for most users. In terms of popularity and prevalence, the services are almost equal, although initially the advantage was on the side of the “blue box”.
Most applications that support cloud synchronization today work with both services.
If 15 GB is not enough, you can expand the space up to 1 TB! This is not difficult to do, we even have it ready. From my own experience, I can say that in a week or two you can contribute to the development of a mapping service and receive a bonus place.
Unfortunately, the space will have to be vacated in two years.
Sometimes Google runs one-time promotions that coincide with holidays or memorable events. There is no referral program.
Prices for additional space in Google Drive:
100 GB: 139 rub.
1 TB: 699 rub.
10 TB: 6,990 rub.
20 TB: RUB 13,920
30 TB: RUB 20,990
How many GB can you get for free: 15 upon registration + 1 TB for 2 years.
Result: the cloud is maximally integrated with other Google services (mail, documents, photos) and the Android operating system, and upon registration they provide a respectable 15 GB. You can expand the place, but for a limited time.
Cloud Mail.Ru
A few years ago, the service literally exploded the cloud storage market by distributing 1 TB to users. Despite all the shortcomings of the Mail.ru cloud (low data transfer speed and lack of WebDAV), many now use this place to store a family photo archive or music collection.
There were other manifestations of generosity, when 25 or even 100 GB were given upon registration. Currently, new users are provided with only 8 GB of free cloud storage. More space is available only on a paid basis.
Considering that mail.ru is a very popular email service and most active Internet users have had an account for a long time, many have already received 100 GB or more for everything they need.
Prices for additional space in Mail.Ru Cloud:
64 GB: 69 rub. (RUB 57.5 if paid annually)
128 GB: 149 rub. (125 rub.)
256 GB: 229 rub. (190 rub.)
512 GB: 379 rub. (315 rub.)
1 TB: 699 rub. (582 rub.)
2 TB: RUB 1,390 (RUB 1,158)
4 TB: RUB 2,790 (RUB 2,325)
How many GB can you get for free: 8 GB upon registration.
Result: not the most convenient cloud with unstable speed. The Mail.ru mobile application is just becoming more convenient and functional. If you haven’t upgraded the cloud here before, there’s no point in starting it now.
Yandex.Disk
At the moment, Yandex is the most active player in the cloud market. There are regular promotions and bonus space giveaways to expand the initial 10 GB.
Users can receive bonuses when purchasing and using equipment from different brands or by connecting to Yandex partner services. You can read about all current and past promotions.
Now the next “cloud distribution” is taking place, you can get +32 GB to your existing space. To do this, just enable automatic photo uploading in the mobile application. A few minutes after activating the option, the bonus will be received and you can disable uploading.
Prices for additional space in Yandex.Disk:
10 GB: 30 rub. (25 rubles if paid annually)
100 GB: 80 rub. (67 rub.)
1 TB: 200 rub. (167 rub.)
How many GB can you get for free: 10 upon registration + 32 GB on promotion.
Result: an excellent domestic player in the cloud storage market with good speed and a convenient application. Promotions are regularly held to upgrade your cloud for free.
OneDrive
The Microsoft service recently cut space for new users and abandoned many old ones who did not have time to confirm their desire to use the previous volume. So instead of 15 GB, OneDrive now only has 5 GB available.
A serious corporate service does not deal with such nonsense as referral links and promotions with partners. You can only get a bonus place when purchasing devices or applications from Microsoft.
Pricing for additional OneDrive storage:
50 GB: 72 rub.
1 TB: 269 rub. (RUB 224 if paid annually)
5 TB: 339 rub. (283 rub.)
How many GB can you get for free: 5 GB upon registration.
Result: It is convenient to use the OneDrive service in extremely rare cases when there is no need to synchronize data with mobile operating systems (competing solutions clearly win there), and the emphasis should be on working with Microsoft products, in particular with the Office 365 service.
Mega
The cloud service, originally from New Zealand, immediately offers 50 GB for all new users. No restrictions or pitfalls, just take it and use it.
There is a convenient mobile application, good encryption, and a paid extension can be paid for using the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
Prices for additional space in Mega:
200 GB: €4.99 (€4.16 if paid annually)
500 GB: €9.99 (€8.33)
2 TB: €19.99 (€16.66)
4 TB: €29.99 (€25)
How many GB can you get for free: 50 GB upon registration.
Result: for those who need a lot of space at once and without additional movements.
What to choose
Cloud file storage technologies are today considered a must-have tool for a modern Internet user. Each of them has an account on one of the cloud drives: Google Drive, Yandex.Disk or Mail.ru. Most have at least two of these services. In this article, we will look at the main network file storage services, ways to increase disk space on them, and provide tips on how to use them effectively and safely.
What is cloud storage
Local disks and memory cards are physically connected to our computer or tablet by wires. Network storage drives are physically located in special server centers, where a stable power supply and a comfortable operating temperature are ensured. The local computer communicates with them via the Internet. When you access your cloud drive through a browser or mobile client application, the system displays a list of files located on the server. When a user transfers a file from the local My Documents folder to Cloud storage, the document is physically copied via the Internet and ends up on the server.
Therefore, even after the physical destruction of the phone or computer, the files will remain safe and sound. They can be viewed via a web browser on any computer or tablet.
To assess the popularity of disk storage, it is enough to cite one statistical fact. As of 2014, the most popular cloud was Google Drive. The storage works by default on all Android devices, except Chinese ones, where access to Google is limited. Its users were 240 million people.
What can you use Cloud Drive for?
The main tasks solved by users using network storage:
Developers are constantly improving the security system of their services. The standard today is to store user files in encrypted form. Without a special key, this is a useless set of bytes.
The security of services should not be overestimated. In 2011, the reputable company IDC published its report, where it unsatisfactorily assessed the level of their secrecy and resistance to hacking. Experts recommended strengthening the level of authorization and encrypting files in storage and during transfer. Most developers listened to the recommendations and made changes to their applications.
Login to the Cloud Storage can be protected with two-factor authorization: specifying a password and confirming login using your phone. But for most users, one password is enough.
When compiling this rating, the company's experts took into account technological solutions to ensure the security of user data and the presence of failures in the service in the past. Considering that all storage facilities presented in the diagram have been operating for more than 5 years, the history of failure statistics is comparable.
- Recognized as the safest OneDrive. Experts listed the benefits of the service as innovative security system , when the keys to encrypted files and the data themselves are stored on separate servers. By gaining access to only one of these arrays, an attacker will not be able to benefit. Let us remind you that OneDrive is aimed at the corporate market and is the default drive when subscribing to Office365. Subscribers are allocated up to 100 GB at once, while free users receive only 6 GB.
- Ranked second in safety iCloud Drive. This cloud serves users of the Apple ecosystem: iPhone, MacBook and other proprietary solutions of the corporation. Data encryption is performed here both during storage and during transmission. Overall the storage is reliable and comparable to OneDrive in terms of security, but it earned a negative point for a failure in 2014. Many users were involved in this scandal. Private photographs of stars stored on their iPhones have been leaked online. If you use Apple technology, then you can’t do without a proprietary cloud. It backs up data and system settings of your phone and laptop. With its help, deleted photos and documents are recovered.
- Third place awarded Google Drive. Reason - insufficient level of security when storing files . When transmitting data to the server and to the client device, the traffic is encrypted. Experts added two-factor authentication with password confirmation via SMS to the phone number specified during registration as an advantage of the cloud. Experts note that in business accounts designed for corporations, Google Drive provides an increased level of security comparable to OneDrive. Regular users are recommended to encrypt confidential data themselves. For example, archive them with a password.
- Russian takes fourth place Yandex.Disk. Experts noted that the security benefits of this cloud include a wide range of authorization methods, including TouchID, PIN code and QR code. An important advantage for ordinary users is checking files for viruses . The transmission channel of the Yandex storage is encrypted, like its competitors. The only serious failure is considered to be an error in the service’s client program for Windows, made by the company’s programmers in 2013. Users did not lose out. They were allocated 200 GB of disk space for unlimited free use as compensation.
- Fifth place for an old-timer of the market - DropBox. Its security disadvantage is no client side encryption . In theory, this allows an attacker to intercept data as it is transmitted from the local device to the server. In 2011, there was a serious glitch in the DropBox service. It lasted only 4 hours. During this period of time, it was possible to access the entire storage, and not just the data area of a specific user. But we note that in 2011 there were simply no other competitors from the rating. DropBox was a pioneer in network-attached storage and had room for mistakes.
How to get more free cloud storage space
All cloud storage services are commercial. Their main task is to earn the money required to cover the costs of supporting the development team and developing the server infrastructure. Therefore, users are provided with a limited amount of free space. To receive additional free storage space for photos and documents, you will need to meet certain service conditions or participate in promotions.
For example. Yandex.Disk offers 32 gigabytes of free space. auto-uploading photos on a mobile device.
Other cloud services also offer space expansion options for free:
- For inviting friends.
- For installing a cloud drive mobile application or program on a computer.
- Students and teachers for providing a photograph of a student ID or university pass. Yandex.Disk provides an additional 32 free gigabytes for this promotion.
Also, cloud file storage services provide free space under an affiliate scheme. For example, when purchasing laptops or tablets of a certain brand.
A universal way to multiply your cloud storage space for free is to create multiple accounts.
How to install a cloud drive on your computer
Three network storages are most suitable for a computer:
- Google Drive. It is chosen by active users of GMail services and the powerful online document and spreadsheet editor - Google Docs.
- Yandex.Disk. A good choice when you don't need to use Google services. This is a reliable Russian cloud drive, for which you can easily get up to 42 GB or more free space by enabling auto-upload of photos on your mobile device.
- OneDrive. Users of computers and laptops with the Windows 10 operating system receive support for this network drive “in load”. If you have a Windows account, 5 GB of space is allocated on OneDrive. In the This PC shortcut, a folder of the same name is created, synchronized with the cloud.
Installing the program on your computer will only be required for the first two services. OneDrive support is implemented at the system level. Here are step-by-step instructions for installing the application using Yandex.Disk as an example.
Every modern smartphone comes with support for at least one cloud storage out of the box.
- Apple phones come with iCloud support for backing up settings, system files, and photo syncing. Additionally, you can connect Yandex storage using a program downloaded and installed from the official Apple app store.
- Samsung phones include support for two clouds at once: the proprietary Samsung Cloud and Google Drive. Owners of smartphones of this brand have a Google account, like Android users, and a Samsung account for the manufacturer’s proprietary services.
- Xiaomi phones out of the box support communication with Xiaomi's own cloud, MiCloud. Everything works similarly to the iPhone: backups are made to storage on the network and photos from the camera are sent.
- Windows Phone smartphones come with OneDrive access enabled. If you have an Office365 subscription, your available storage will increase by 100 GB.
- Android smartphones from other manufacturers support one cloud storage - Google Drive.
You can purchase additional space by fulfilling the requirements of service promotions or by purchasing it with money.
Please note that Android smartphones support Google Drive, but to work with Google Docs and Sheets you will need to install separate mobile applications. There is also a client program from Google Drive for easy navigation through network storage. The latter is most often preinstalled on the phone.
If the capabilities of the pre-installed network storage are not enough for you, install a third-party one. The most popular: Yandex.Disk, DropBox, Mail.ru.
We'll show you how to install an application for them using Yandex Drive as an example.
Create a complex password. Your private photos and videos are more likely to be leaked online if you have come up with a simple password. A complex one can be generated using a special program or you can come up with it yourself using the following algorithm: !-!123HELLO-WoRlD123!-!. This combination is easy to remember, but is a very difficult password to crack.
Encrypt sensitive data before uploading it to the network. It is dangerous to store passwords and account keys in clear text. If you don't have a dedicated encryption program, archive sensitive files with a password before sending them online.
Use dual authentication. A number of network storages support dual authentication. You need to enter a password and confirm the entry by sending a code from an SMS sent by the service. This procedure seems less convenient, but provides greater data protection.
History of cloud file storage technologies
The phrase “cloud technologies” was first used in 1997. The new global global network required a new computing paradigm. Professor Ramnath Chellup from the University of Texas has proposed a move to cloud computing as an alternative to increasing local computing power.
Real developments in terms of sharing resources on the network date back to 2000. We owe the commercial launch of the service on the new cloud scheme to Amazon. This happened in 2002.
Google has become a pioneer in the implementation and development of cloud applications running through a browser. The new technology has been on the market since 2009.
The idea of creating cloud storage on the Internet is described by its inventor Drew Houston as follows. The guy was sitting on a bus traveling from Boston to New York, with a laptop, but without a flash drive, left at home. To overcome the problem, he began to think about accessing files wirelessly and came up with an application that would implement this idea. The first DropBox code was written, according to this version of events, right on the bus.
According to the founder of DropBox, Steve Jobs wanted to acquire the project at the startup stage, but was refused. Today the company is worth approximately US$4 billion.
All subsequent network storage: iCloud, Google and Yandex appeared much later. Their main promotion paradigm is that the service is conditionally free. The user receives part of the gigabytes immediately, free of charge and unconditionally. The rest must be purchased by subscription.
