You have most likely heard the buzz about Cloud Storage, how it is fated as the future of Web technology and is a must have for many businesses, especially enterprise companies. Of course, there are those with opinions on the subject, both in favor of cloud adoption and against it. To my mind, what Cloud storage offers is only advantageous if you can’t provide the same features for less cost … which you can, well mostly. For those of you who are curious I did a bit of searching to learn more about the advantages of using it. How Cloud will be used over time will likely change, but for now there are five primary ways it is used:
1. Anywhere Access of files as a drive
2. Backup Local Files Online
3. Sync Folders on 2 or more computers
4. Connect and Share with People
5. Integrate with Existing Applications
Well, there are numerous online backup options, both personal servers and simple FTP access to files on a Web server. This provides anywhere access online. Backup options can be set in place that will automatically backup your site files online, so this isn’t new. Syncing folders between computers can be done easily in a local network, and with online file storage options as well. Ok, so the connect and share with people only works when you have a personal server and you’ve assigned each of them access credentials. I imagine that Cloud works much the same in this regard. Where Cloud provides something new is the ability to integrate with existing Applications. Which Cloud solution is best for you will depend on what your specific needs are; following are five of the best cloud service providers I’ve seen reviewed.
Amazon Web Services
One of the largest cloud service providers available, and a leading innovator in the industry. AWS provides scalable storage solutions (one server or a large cluster), and offers a pay-as-you-go low cost service. They instantly deploys applications and allows for full open and flexible control of all of your data.
Box
Box has been constantly innovating its product over the last year, especially in mobile applications. Box helps businesses host of features in areas like content management with desktop syncing and link-based file sharing, mobile access on Android and iOS devices, online workspaces, a host of administrative controls and easy integration into existing business software like Google Apps, Salesforce and NetSuite, as well as offering APIs for custom integrations.
Rackspace
Impressive Hybrid Hosting option that provides both cloud and managed hosting in one service. Rackspace has continued to impress with solid service and security. Rackspace’s on-demand scalable servers come with up to 30 GB of storage, only require businesses to pay for what they use, are fully-customizable with root access.
Dropbox
Many have at least heard of Dropbox (I use it), and it has long been one of the more heavily-utilized cloud service providers available. Like Box, Dropbox offers an impressive mobile service that is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices and still works even when the user is offline. The service also provides businesses with the ability to utilize the same tools they work with daily, put all of their services on a single bill and manage and migrate accounts. They even provide unlimited version history for all of your files hosted with Dropbox.
Evernote
What sets this product apart is that it is more of a note-taking and idea-saving service than a traditional cloud storage platform. The idea with Evernote is that users can save important ideas in “notebooks” and then retrieve these ideas later, which is made simple thanks to a search function and the ability to tag things you save. It also has mobile compatibility, so you can access your ideas from almost any mobile device, as Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there.
