I want to talk to you about the clouds today.
But I’m not here to talk about hyper-scale, public cloud like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure or Google Cloud. They are great, but for many, they are overwhelming.
Instead, most companies need a way to store our documents and data so that we and our colleagues can easily access our information, whether we are at home or sitting in a convention center in Valencia, Spain.
As it happens, that’s what I’m doing now.
Twenty years ago, I saved this article to my local hard drive with a USB stick backup. Today, I’m automatically saving Google Drive on my TMD hosting server in Chicago and my Linux-based NextCloud instance.
In 2007, Drew Houston lost his USB drive and fell ill. (I still carry them, and I still lose them.)
Thus, Houston created the first private, small-business cloud storage service, Dropbox. Flew like a rocket. But, of course, since imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, there are now dozens of inexpensive cloud storage services available. However, apart from giving you storage, they are very different from each other.
How do you choose which one is best for you?
Some people only go to offer the largest storage space.
Don’t do it.
The real value of a cloud storage service comes from how well it works for you or your business; Works best with a specific pair of each operating system and business model.
Different personal / SMB clouds have evolved into different service models.
Some, such as Dropbox, are still primarily about storage. Others, such as boxes, come with a complete document flow system. Most notably, Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive combine storage with e-mail and office software-in-a-service (SaaS) functionality.
Which is the best choice? Let’s take a quick look.
OneDrive
If you use Windows, Microsoft OneDrive is what you want.
It is available for free with any modern version of Windows. And literally, if you’re not a one-person shop, you’ll want a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Microsoft 365 users will receive an extra terabyte per user, starting with a 6 per month subscription. This plan offers a maximum of six people or 6TB of storage. For ব্যবহার 12.50 per user per month, including an annual subscription, Microsoft 365 Business Standard uses 1TB of cloud storage and Microsoft Office and Teams.
If you only need storage, OneDrive for Business (1) gives you 1TB per user for $ 5 per month with an annual subscription. After that, the OneDrive for Business (2) plan will cost up to $ 10 per month and each user will get unlimited storage.
Google Drive
If your business survives and dies from the Google program, you’ll want Google Drive.
Of course, it’s not just about storage. It is now part of Google’s online office suite, part of Google Docs and Parcel 7 So if you have a Google Account, say a Gmail account, you already have 15GB of storage.
This is great for a small business.
However, if you need more, get a Google Workplace subscription. Even the least expensive Google workspace subscription comes with a business starter, মাসে 6 per user per month on an annual contract, complete Google Docs and Google Meet software suite and 30GB storage access per user. Subsequent plans, Business Standard or Plus – আপনার 12 or $ 18 per user per month – save up to 2 and 5 TB of your storage, respectively. They also give you additional management and security features and are available for up to 300 users.
Dropbox
Do you want storage that you can use on any device at any time?
Dropbox is your preferred cloud service. It only comes with 2GB of free storage, but it’s easy enough to push Dropbox storage up to 16GB and not cost a red cent.
For business, Dropbox is standard. At $ 12.50 per month on the annual plan, it gives you 5TB of storage. For my money, $ 25 per month Dropbox Advanced, which provides unlimited storage, is a good deal.
I drive
For storage and backup, I highly recommend iDrive.
To be clear, when I say iDrive, I’m not talking about Apple’s iCloud. Although it has improved, I still find it the most annoying of any large company’s cloud offers.
iDrive is an outstanding and inexpensive cloud storage service. I especially like it for backups, iDrive does not lock you on a single computer. You can use an account to backup your Windows and MacOS desktops, your Android smartphones, iPhones and tablets, your network drives, and even your Linux server.
The Small Business iDrive Team starts at $ 99.50 a year for five users and 5TB of data. Other team plans allow an additional five users and 5TB of data.
Nextcloud
If you are concerned about public cloud privacy and security, want absolute control over your cloud storage and prefer open-source software, then do it yourself, open-source NextCloud is a good option.
With NextCloud, you set up your own cloud storage service using your existing server and hard drive.
You and you alone control your cloud storage for maximum security and privacy.
You can set up cloud storage on an office server or outside of your own external server. How much? What you can eat! I have a 4TB NextCloud drive in my office and another terabyte outside my co-hosted server rack.
It’s not as easy to set up as others, but any serious Linux user can do it.
If you need help, NextCloud Enterprise brings basic support for about 100 users at about $ 38 per user per year.
Want someone else to run it for you?
There are many NextCloud service providers who can help with a fee.
Personally, I use them all – even OneDrive. They are all good. But it would be best if you call based on the needs of your company.
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