Why Are Online Storage Solutions So Important?
It is ever apparent that we live in the mobile age. We are constantly on the go, meeting clients, running errands, etc. Combine this with free wi fi and mobile internet and now we can access our files from anywhere. We can use flash drives now that store huge amounts of data. I’ve seen some flash drives that hold 250GB, which is as much as some desktop hard drives. The problem is that some have a fear of losing their flash drive, having it crash, or forgetting to bring it with them. The solution comes in a variety of different online storage solutions that enable you to access gigabytes of storage from anywhere that you have online access.
Great Free Online Storage Solutions
DropBox
Dropbox is a great free service that gives you 2 free gigabytes of online storage to start out with. The coolest part (and a good idea on Dropbox’s part) is that when you share Dropbox with other people and they sign up, you both get a little extra free storage. The more you share Dropbox and help them to grow, you’ll get more storage space in return.
Another cool aspect of Dropbox is that you can place files in your public folder, and if you right-click on it, Dropbox will give you a public link that others can click to download. This means that you can share files with anyone, anywhere, any time. You can also link a folder between 2 Dropbox users and share files privately with each other. What is awesome is that you can do all of this for free!
SugarSync
SugarSync is a free online storage solution that gives you 5 gigabytes of storage space for free. It is considered a personal account, but 5GB is plenty to use for your business. Like DropBox, you can share files with a public link, and you can even post them to Facebook and Twitter. You can share folders with others and even set permissions.
Mozy
Mozy is another free online storage solution that offers a free service to entice you to try their paid service. You start out with 2GB of free space, but if you decide to upgrade to the home version, they boast 25 times the storage capacity, so I am assuming that means you get 50GB of online storage space for $5.99. That isn’t a bad price for a huge amount of online storage space.
Symform
Symform takes a slightly different approach than other free online storage solutions. You can sign up for a free account, which gives you a whopping 10GB of free online storage. Where Symform takes a detour is when you become interested in unlimited cloud storage. they request that you give up double the space on your local drive to have access to half that amount in online storage. For example, if you want another 50GB of cloud storage, you have to surrender 100GB of blank space on your local drive. I’m not too keen on someone having access to my local drive, so I think I’ll just stick with the 10 free GB.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Since this is a design blog and most of my readers are digital artists, graphic designers, web designers, & developers, you’ll be happy to know that if you are a Creative Cloud member, not only do you have access to the entire Master Collection for a low monthly price, but you also get 20 GB or online storage that you can access from anywhere. The software alone is worth $49.99 per month, but add 20GB of storage on top of that and it’s just icing on the cake!
HiDrive is another free online storage solution that you can use to back up all of your files online. You get 5GB of space to start out with, and for $9.99 per moth, you get upgraded to 100GB. Like DropBox, you can share your files with whoever you want.
MediaFire
MediaFire has decided to come out of the corner fighting with 50GB of free storage for new signups. That’s right, you heard me correctly. You get 50GB free for signing up with MediaFire. They boast the ability to share files on Twitter and facebook, and they have mobile apps available so you can share with your mobile device as well.
Conclusion
There are tons of free online storage solutions for you to choose from. You can get up to 50GB free, which should be enough online storage for you to access all of your business and design files from anywhere. You could store all of your active project files, as well as invoices, forms, and more right on your online storage service. You could access any of your business files anywhere that has wi-fi, making you close to 100% mobile. This can give you an advantage over other designers, and make your life much easier at the same time. you’ll never worry about leaving your work behind ever again. it will always be with you!
Do you use an online storage solution for your digital files? If it isn’t listed above, feel free to share it in the comments section below. If you use any of the ones listed above, which one is your favorite?
