Online storage of computer files is becoming more important to companies, professional practices, and even individuals and families. I have been purchasing online storage for several years and am thrilled with all the storage solutions that are commonly known as cloud storage. This article provides a quick review of cloud storage providers. If you are seeking an exhaustive list, take a look at Wikipedia’s comparison of online backup services.
Shop Before You Buy
A few years ago I purchased online storage from a low-cost provider. I was initially excited and began uploading files. Unfortunately uploading the files was so slow that believe it or not, I would actually be logged by the software because of “inactivity”. You can imagine my frustration. That is when I began shopping around and when I did find a better solution, I had to painstakingly download the files from my old-slow provider and then upload to the new provider. This is a headache you should avoid. For that reason I suggest taking your time before you make a commitment.
The factors that are important for cloud storage include:
- speed
- reliability
- cost
- security
- ease-of-use and features
I recently researched various online storage service providers and rated a few on the factors listed below. The matrix presented below are just a few storage providers. The reviews are based on my experiences, the experiences of my , and the researched I conducted.
| speed | reliability | cost | security | ease-of-use/features | |
| Just Cloud | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Zip Cloud | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| My PC Backup | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Sugar Sync | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Mozy | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Dropbox | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Box | 4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 3.5 |
