The ?Cloud? seems to be the buzz word in the world or computing these days. Putting your data on the cloud simply mean uploading your data onto a remote server that could be based anywhere. These servers then update any changes you make and allow you to access these data from multiple devices.
With your data stored in the cloud, you could be working on a document in your home computer, go to work and access the same document on your work computer, laptop, iphone or ipad. These cloud services also allow you to edit, share, and forward documents via email.
This is a progression from the days we had to use a FTP manager to upload our documents. With cloud services these days, you just need to download and install a folder on your computer, place everything in the folder and access it from anywhere you want to with an internet connection.
We are going to review 3 popular services that you can use. Most of these providers give you a free amount of storage or a trial period to start up so don?t be shy and try them all to see which one works best for you.
DropBox
Dropbox installs a Dropbox folder on the computer and at a location of your choice. After that, any file you save to Dropbox also instantly saves to your computers, mobile devices, and the Dropbox website. To view and access your files on another location, simply install the Dropbox on the remote computer or access the dropbox website. They keep a record of your files for a month so you can also go back to the dropbox website to find files you may have accidentally deleted.
Dropbox is free for the first 2GB, $99/year for 50 GB, 199/year for 100 GB. Dropbox is available from the App Store for both iPhone and iPad here.
Box.net
Box.net positions their cloud solutions towards business. They have a Box Folder App for your desktop for business users. So free users will need to upload and manage file vie your browser. Like Dropbox, Box.net lets you share your folders and files with collaborators. It does go one step further to let you form discussion groups to add that CRM feel.
Box is Free for the first 5GB (with a 25 MB file size upload limit), and $15/month per 3 user (Min 3 users) for their Business Package (500 GB Storage, 2GB File Size Limit). They have apps for the iPad and iPhone here.
SugarSync
Another popular Cloud company is Sugarsync. Sugarsync makes it easy to backup, share and access your files, anytime, anywhere. They have the Sugarsync App for iOS devices which should make it easy for you to access and manage all your data.
SugarSync?s file management is managed through the SugarSync Manager and this gives Sugarsync more flexibility over other Cloud services.
The Sugarsync Manager allows user to specify ANY specific file to synch to, including desktop items. So users just need to ?check? the file that requires synching. It also allows users to specify which files to synch to which device. For example, you can specify fewer files to put on your iPhone due to its Memory limitation.
SugarSync offers a 60 GB Package for $99.99/year, 100 GB of storage for 149.99/year, 250 GB for 249.99/year, and 500 GB for 399.99/year. It offers a 30 day free trial here. Iphone and iPad users mage download their iOS client here.
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