TechDish: Cloud Storage and What it Means for YOU!

Posted on: Fri, 07/30/2010 - 12:28 — us104_techdish

This week's TechDish brings you one of the hottest topics in the tech industry today, cloud computing. But what is this term all about? Will a cloud really hold my laptop? When we talk cloud computing or cloud solutions, we're talking about centralized computer and technology services that are leased or otherwise obtained that are off-site from your network.

There are many ways cloud computing is being used, but for today we are talking about the storage of your files. I think we've all been there; you leave the house and get to work only to say "aww, I left those files at home!". It seems like those pesky files are never where you need them the most…with you at all times. Sure, we can mitigate this problem by burning CD's, carrying around all varieties of storage media (flash drives, zip disks, hard drives, iPods, etc), but those can be cumbersome, and what's more; you're out of luck if you forget them somewhere.

Storage in the Cloud: don't take it anywhere, connect to it from anywhere!

So here it is. Cloud storage is centralized, secure and very convenient! Anywhere you have access to the web, you'll be able to get at your files; from a multitude of platforms (desktops, laptops, iPads, mobile devices and more!). What's more, some of the cloud storage services have the ability to create and edit your files, without requiring a download to your computer at all.

TechDish-Recommended Cloud Storage Solutions

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

Dropbox offers simple solutions for online storage and sharing. They currently provide a free account with 2 GB of online storage and 50 GB for $9.99 ($0.20/GB). Dropbox has a desktop client for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems; as well as mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android. Once the desktop client is installed, a Dropbox folder is created for which to easily add files to your online account via dragging and dropping the files into your Dropbox folder. Multiple computers can added to your Dropbox account by simply installing the desktop client to each system. Thus any files added to a given Dropbox folder will be sychronized and accessible on any computer for which Dropbox is installed. A public folder allows you to easily share files with everyone. To be more selective with your sharing, you can easily add additional folders and grant access to specific individuals.

SugarSync

www.sugarsync.com

SugarSync does it all: online storage, backup, sharing, mobile applications for access via your cell phone (Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, iPhone), remote multiple computer and file synchronization, unlimited bandwidth and file size upload, and desktop clients for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Other cool features include the ability to nativly upload and share photos to Facebook as well as earning up to 5 free GB of storage space for referring friends. SugarSync offers a free 30-day trial to get you started and very affordable rates for home users and businesses alike.

Windows Live SkyDrive

windowslive.com

Store files, share files, send files, all through an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface from Microsoft's cloud offering. Sharing becomes easy with the ability to set files to public and private; your friends and contacts only see the files that you allow them to. A free account gets you 25GB of storage right off the bat.

Office Web Apps

Along with your free Microsoft Live ID, you can sign in to Office Web Apps and create, edit and convert Microsoft Office files; without needing any Microsoft software installed on your computer! Supporting formats for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, you'll never again have to say "I forgot that file" or "this file is in a newer format than my MS Office can handle". And, with integrated storage through SkyDrive, you're all set to get dangerous with your files.

Google Docs

docs.google.com

The full list of features explains it much better than the space we have here; and Google Docs is a seriously solid player in the cloud storage and computing layer. Similar to Office Web Apps, you are able to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and forms online with no software to install. Those created files can be stored as either public or private files, allowing you to decide who gets to have access to your work. What's more, you can convert and download these documents in Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, PDF, Rich Text or HTML formats.