Thinking of Storage Cloud Services? 5 Best Cloud Storage Services

Today, we’ll discuss Best Cloud Storage Services.

But not the hyper-scale, public cloud services such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud. These are fantastic, but many find them unnecessary.

Instead, organizations require a way to store documents and data so that we and our co-workers can access them from wherever we are.

As it turns out, that’s exactly what I’m doing right this moment.

Twenty years ago, this article would have been saved to my local hard drive using a USB stick backup. Today, I save it to Google Drive.

Drew Houston, who lost his USB drive in 2007 changed the game. (I still keep them, but I still lose them.

Houston then created Dropbox, the first small-business cloud storage company. It took off like a rocket. There are now dozens of cloud storage services that are cheap, and imitation is the greatest form of flattery. These services are not only capable of storing your data, but also offer a wide range of other benefits.

Which is best for you?

Some people will choose the one that has the most storage.

This is a terrible idea.

Cloud storage services’ true value lies in how they work for you and your business. Each operates best with specific combinations of OS.

The different personal/SMB cloud models have been transformed into new service models.

Few, like Dropbox, are mostly focused on storage. Other systems, like Box, have a whole document flow. The famous, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, merge storage with e-mail and office Software-as-a-Service functionality.

Which one is the best? Let’s take a quick look.

OneDrive

Microsoft OneDrive works best for Windows users.

It’s included free with any Windows version. A Microsoft 365 subscription is a good option if you don’t have a large staff.

Microsoft 365 customers get an extra terabyte starting at $6 per month. This is six users or 6TB storage. Microsoft 365 Business Standard provides 1TB of cloud storage as well as Microsoft Office and Teams at $12.50 per user with an annual subscription.

OneDrive Business offers 1TB storage per user at $5 per month, with an annual subscription. Increase the cost to $10 per month for OneDrive for Business and you get unlimited storage.

Google Drive

Google Drive will be a must-have if you want to make your business thrive and survive on Google programs.

Storage is not all that it is. It’s now part of Google Docs, Google’s online workplace suite. You already have 15GB of storage if you have an account with Google, such as a Gmail.

This is great for a small business.

You can also subscribe to Google Workplace if you require more. The cheapest Google Workplace Subscription Business Starter costs $6 per user per year and provides 30GB of storage. Business Standard or Plus — $12 and $18 respectively per user per month – increase your storage to up to 2 TB or 5 TB, respectively. These plans are also available for up 300 users and offer additional security and management options.

Dropbox

Are you looking for storage that can be used on almost any device at any moment?

Dropbox is the cloud service for you. While it comes with only 2GB of storage, you can push Dropbox storage up to 16GB for free and not pay a cent.

For businesses, DropBox Standard is an option. You get 5TB of storage at $12.50 per user with an annual plan. I think the $25 per month Dropbox Advanced with unlimited storage is better.

iDrive

I highly recommend iDrive for storage and backup.

To be clear, iDrive does not refer to Apple’s iCloud. It’s improving, but I still find it the most frustrating big-company cloud offering.

iDrive offers a fantastic and affordable cloud storage solution. I like the fact that iDrive does not limit you to one computer when backing up your data. One account can backup Windows, macOS desktops, Android smartphones, iPhones, and tablets, as well as your network drives, and even your Linux Server.

The small business drive teams start from $99.50 per annum for five users with 5TB of data. You can add five more users to your Team’s plan and receive 5TB of data.

NextCloud

The open-source, DIY NextCloud option is great if you have concerns about cloud security or privacy.

NextCloud lets you create your cloud storage from your current hard drives and servers. Your storage is yours and yours alone. You can install cloud storage on your personal servers or a server at the company.