How To Choose OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, Or Google Drive As Your Main Storage

With tech behemoths such as Microsoft, Google, Dropbox, and Apple providing tons of online space, keeping everything in the cloud is an attractive thought. This is specific if you employ a number of devices or require to access PC data on your tablet or mobile.

While you cannot really employ cloud services as your primary storage on your main Mac or PC you can utilize their folder(s) as your default storeroom for photos, documents, and other types of files. You can also access some or all of those data from other mobiles, computers, and tablets by syncing specific folders or opening separate files. When you cannot use the cloud as your primary option, they just copy what you are saving to portable SSD or your local hard disk.

But is it wise to put your crucial data in the cloud? Here are essential things to consider.

Don’t Put Your Faith In Free

It is good to get stuff for free, but free comes with no warranty. Features, terms and conditions, and options can and sometimes do modify with no or little notice. In addition to this, capacity tends to be fairly restricted and there is no such thing as guaranteed accessibility without a price label attached.

That does not unavoidably indicate you have to hurry and spend dimes since many paid-for deals are provided in bundles with other buyouts. For instance, subscribers of Office 365 get loads of cloud storage (1 Terabyte) as a fraction of their package.

Choose The Right Cloud

Various services have various needs, so while Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive work on pretty much everything, iCloud requires a Mac operating on Yosemite or above and/or iOS gadgets operating on iOS 8 or above. And while there is a Windows’ iCloud client, there is not one for Android or other mobile services. It is essential to check that there are applications that are available for devices that you use and think about the machines you may need to share with.

Know What’s Safe To Store

The only positively, absolutely, and definitely guaranteed method to makes sure something cannot be got from the Internet is to make certain it never goes anywhere close to the Internet. While the danger of theft or data loss from well-recognized cloud services might be less, it is still likely and something you require to think about. This is specific if you are storing work data with personal data of people, as the Data Protection Act claims that info must be effectively protected. Hence, use file encryption on anything you are sorting in the cloud.

Protect Your Phone

If you will be syncing or sharing with your handsets, protect them using passwords or PINs; there is no point watching strict security on your PC and then leaving your tablet or handset open for anyone to access your data.

The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit of the UK claims that over 300,000 handsets are lost each year, but that is only the ones reported to claim alongside insurance. The actual number is much higher. If somebody got your handset, could they authorize your data? Making certain they cannot consumes no time at all.

Always Have A Backup

While most of the services do their best to defend your data, there is always the danger that something can go south. And the more significant the file, the more significant it is that you have a backup of the file. That may mean uploading pics to 2 different cloud offerings (something that is automatic if you download, for example, Flickr on an iCloud-syncing iOS machine and switch on the auto-upload feature of Flickr so that both iCloud and Flickr get each image), or just normally backing and syncing up major files.

Turn On 2FA

A simple password and username combination is not sufficient to keep your cloud storage safe, which is why the primary cloud storage suppliers provide 2FA (two-factor authentication). 2FA employs a second kind of verification to make certain you are actually you, most usually by sending a code to different device such as your tablet or smartphone. 2FA is also accessible for online services such as photo storage or email, and it is a very good feature to use it on those too.

Revoke App Access

Cloud storage does not just directly link to devices. It can be called from inside 3rd-party apps as well. For instance, you may need attachments of Google Drive in your email app, to connect Dropbox to IFTTT, or OneDrive files in your Office files.

Remember, your account dashboard allows you to look at what apps have authorization, and to cancel the access of anything you do not require. The lesser apps that have authorization to your account the safer that account is probable to stay.

Check What’s Connecting

Services such as Google Drive and Dropbox allow you to see just what machines have been linked to your account. For example, Dropbox allows you to see what web browsers are presently connected and what specific Macs, PCs, and mobiles you have offered authorization to your account.

If there is a device that is not yours or that you do not have any more, you can disconnect the machine to cancel its access. The device list will not comprise people to have sent shareable links to (for example public URLs by Dropbox). It only covers devices with authorization to your account.

Keep Your Payment Details Current

If you have a paid cloud account and the renewal does not go through you do not require panicking. Dropbox’s method is fairly classic, with accounts demoted to free Basic accounts but the files stay intact.

What does modify is the capability of syncing. If your paid account has been demoted to a free, basic account, that can mean storage space reducing to just 2 GB from 1 TB. If your data exceed that, you will not be capable of syncing anything new unless you have re-subscribed to the paid version.

Don’t Exceed Your Allowance

One of the most common usages of a cloud-supported app is to offer access all over devices. For instance, you may need OneDrive data on your Windows Phone from your PC or iCloud files from your Mac accessible on your iPad.

That is great. But, be cautious if you are on a mobile data plan with a limited traffic cap. Excessive syncing and file sharing can easily consume enough of your bandwidth limit, incurring extra charges or slowing your connection. If your account is limited, only sync when your mobile’s got Wi-Fi or restrict what you share.

Seeing the big picture here, you just had a look at the top things that you need to consider whenever you are opting for cloud storage services such as OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, Or Google Drive. These 10 tips will help you in selecting the most suitable service for your devices. If you feel that this article was helpful, let us know by commenting your feedback below.