Dropbox revolutionized
the way we share information, and no enterprises have enjoyed the
benefits more than small businesses. Cloud storage has enabled them to
access critical data from the road, work across geographic boundaries,
easily share large files, and do away with costly physical
infrastructure.
But while Dropbox and other popular cloud-storage providers are
adequate for the average consumer, most services don’t meet
small-business needs for security, affordability, real-time
collaboration, and lots of file storage. Here are some Dropbox
alternatives that do. Like Dropbox, each offers an easy-to-use
interface, 2GB of free storage, and drag-and-drop syncing, and any are
guaranteed to be a boon to your business.
SpiderOak
Free storage: 2GB
Pricing: $100/year for 100GB, $600/month for 1TB (100 users per TB)
Best for: Security
For better or worse, Dropbox has become emblematic of cloud security
issues. Not only has the service been hacked, it has also made security
mistakes such as accidentally turning off password authentication
for millions of users. Although there will always be a certain amount
of risk with cloud storage, some services out there make an extra effort
to protect your data.
SpiderOak
is a cloud-based storage and syncing service that offers full
encryption of your data and password, along with a “zero-knowledge”
privacy policy. This means that not only is your data encrypted (using a
combination of 2048-bit RSA and 256-bit AES encryption) at every stage
in the cloud storage process, but nobody—not even SpiderOak
employees—can see what you’ve stored without your password. The downside
to this ultra-secure service is that your password is also encrypted,
so if you forget it, you will lose access to all of the files you’ve
stored on SpiderOak’s servers.
SpiderOak features a desktop client (available for Windows, Mac OS X,
and Linux) that allows you to store and access files through a special
interface. Like Dropbox, SpiderOak also installs a folder on your
computer where you can drag and drop files you want synced to the
SpiderOak server. These files are accessible through the desktop client,
SpiderOak’s website, and its apps for Android and iOS.
Google Drive
Free storage: 15GB
Pricing: $5/month for 100GB, $10/month for 200GB,
$20/month for 400GB, $50/month for 1TB, $100/month for 2TB, $200/month
for 4TB, $400/month for 8TB, $800/month for 16TB
Best for: Collaboration
Google’s cloud storage system, Google Drive,
looks pretty attractive on the surface. After all, the service offers
15GB of free storage space—more than seven times the amount of free
space Dropbox offers. But that 15GB limit is deceptive because it
includes your Gmail account and any pictures you’ve stored on Google+.
And, while Google Drive offers up to 16TB of online storage space, that
option will cost you almost $10,000 a year.
But that doesn’t mean you should overlook Google Drive
as a viable Dropbox alternative. Its built-in tools, such as Google
Docs and Google Sheets, are great for editing files on the go or
collaborating with multiple users. Dropbox and other cloud-storage
providers’ collaborative properties typically end at sharing: It’s up to
each user to open, edit, and upload the files. With Google Drive,
however, you can work on files simultaneously with other users in any
Web browser.
For users who need more functionality, there are several free third-party add-ons and services, including an assortment of IFTTT recipes for automating your Google Drive workflow.
While you’re probably used to accessing Google Drive via a Web
browser, the service also offers a desktop client (available for Windows
and Mac OS X), for drag-and-drop syncing. Google also offers mobile
apps for both Android and iOS.
Copy
Free storage: 20GB
Pricing: $99/year for 250GB, $149/year for 500GB
Best for: Affordable storage
Dropbox gives its users 2GB of free storage, and paid accounts start
at $99/year for 100GB. But what if your cloud storage needs lie
somewhere in between a 2GB and 100GB?
Copy is Barracuda Networks’ cloud-storage service, and it offers a whopping 15GB of free storage to its users, along with an extra 5GB when
you download the desktop client. That’s 20GB right off the bat, plus
you have opportunities to earn more free space through referrals. (You
can earn up to 20GB of free space on Dropbox through referrals, but it
takes awhile.) Copy’s paid plans offer more storage per dollar as well:
$99 a year gets you 250GB, while $149 a year nets 500GB.
Like Dropbox, Copy’s desktop client installs a special syncing folder
on your computer, for dragging and dropping files. Your files are then
accessible through the desktop client, Copy’s website, and its iOS and
Android apps.
BitTorrent Sync
Free storage: Not applicable
Pricing: Not applicable
Best for: Secure syncing
Even with extra encryption and zero-knowledge privacy policies, data stored in the cloud can be insecure. BitTorrent Sync
is a service that offers Dropbox-like convenience without the
vulnerabilities of cloud storage. Working off of BitTorrent’s
peer-to-peer protocol, BitTorrent Sync lets you link up folders across
multiple devices and sync files, without ever pushing your data to an
external cloud-based server. This means it’s inherently safer than the
most secure cloud servers, because files are stored locally and file
transfers are encrypted.
BitTorrent Sync is surprisingly easy to set up and use, and it
actually works similarly to Dropbox and other cloud-storage services. To
get started, download and install the BitTorrent client (available for
Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux) on your computer. You can then choose
which folder you want to sync, and BitTorrent Sync will provide a
“secret”—which is a randomly generated 21-byte key for that folder. To
sync the folder with another device, just download and install the
BitTorrent client on that device and type in the secret. Any files you
drag and drop into this folder will now sync between these two (or more)
devices using BitTorrent’s P2P protocol.
Note by Sarah
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