We name the Top 4 ways to store your data in the cloud for FREE (in August 2013)

If you are looking for offsite storage and backup for your data, photos, music, documents etc. these 4 solutions offer you similar features but with varying amounts of storage. As you can see from the table below, once you get beyond the FREE storage limit, the prices for extra storage can start to be expensive. The following free storage limits and prices for additional storage were current in August 2013, but click on the links to each option to find out the latest deals for yourself (and please update the blog by leaving a comment).

August 2013	Name	FREE Storage	Extra Storage
	Google Drive	15 GB	extra 100 GB $4.99/month
	Microsoft Skydrive	7 GB	extra 10 GB $20/year
	Apple iCloud	5 GB	extra 10 GB $21/year
	Drop Box	2 GB	extra 100 GB $99/year

As a business we use Google Drive to store all our company records such as documents, spreadsheets, images, brochures, presentations etc. And now use the FREE and built in tools such as “Document” “Spreadsheet” “Presentation” and “Drawing” rather than Microsoft Office. We collaborate on documents with contractors and colleagues all over the world in real-time. If your an avid Word/Excel addict, simply configure the default storage directory to your local Google Drive on your PC and they will be synced automatically in the Google Drive cloud.

Personally I use the Apple iCloud service to backup and share data among my Apple devices such as my iPhone, iPad and iMac. My pictures, music, contacts are stored automatically and my data backed up to be used on those devices anywhere in the world.

If your a Microsoft geek with a Windows PC, Microsoft Phone etc Then Skydrive is probably for you and offers similar storage deals and pricing to Google Drive. The interface and workings appear to be a copy of drive.

Drop box was the original “cloud” solution but is now struggling to stay in touch with the big three but it still has an army of loyal fans.

As well as these four there are hundreds of cloud storage offerings. Just do a search for “Cloud Storage” … a Google Search of course 🙂

If you don't want or can't fix the problem yourself, give us a call and we can fix it. Come to us in Subiaco or we can come to you.

Written by John Kirkby