Which cloud storage to choose?

Important data can be stored on external media - hard drives, USB flash drives, even floppy disks. However, the safety of information in this case will be constantly under threat, because the physical object is easy to lose. If the USB stick contains confidential information about the activities of the organization, the USB stick can be stolen by competitors - which will cause enormous damage to the company.

For these reasons, USB-drives are becoming a thing of the past - like disks and floppy disks in their time. They are being replaced by cloud data storage, allowing you to access files at any time and from any computer. In this article, we will give a rating of cloud storage and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of various services.

Cloud storage is an online storage within which user data is distributed across multiple servers. The user does not know the structure and location of the servers; from his point of view, the "cloud" is a large virtual flash card, the information on which is protected by a password.

Using cloud storage is quite simple: a person needs to register on one of the sites offering data storage services, remember the login / password, then upload valuable information “to the Internet”. When the information is necessary for him, he visits the same site from any PC or mobile gadget, logs in and gets access to the information.

Cloud services have many advantages over other data storage methods:

• The user does not risk losing information irrevocably in the event of a computer or gadget failure.
• Information from the "cloud" is convenient to share - you can send links to individual files via mail or social networks.
• The user has to pay only for large amounts of memory. If his needs are small, he has the right to limit himself to a free quota, which is provided by almost all storage facilities.
• The user can set up file sharing and, as a result, organize joint work with data online.

When it comes to the shortcomings of cloud storage, users first of all express doubts about whether such services are able to guarantee the confidentiality of the information entrusted to them. As an example, a well-known incident that happened to dropbox in 2011 - when, after the update, anyone could log into any account using a random password. Undoubtedly, you cannot vouch for the reliability of all cloud storage- that is why it is so important to approach the choice of a service for storing information carefully and scrupulously.

Top cloud storage: which service to choose?

Some of the best cloud storage services include:

Google Drive

• Free seat: 15 GB.
• : 5 TB.
• : 30 TB.
• : Supported on Android above 4.4 and iOS above 8.0.

The service is quite young - its launch took place only in 2012. However, despite this Google Drive(aka Google Drive) has already managed to achieve well-deserved global popularity and the laurels of one of the most convenient cloud storages.

Convenience Google Drive lies in the fact that this "cloud" is integrated with all other services from Google- of which there are a huge number. The user, for example, can send a letter received to the mailbox to the storage with just one click gmail, save the photo uploaded to the "cloud" in the application Google Photos. Besides, Google Drive allows the user to open and edit documents Google Docs.

The application boasts a curious feature Google Drive for Android - it is capable scan documents. Just click the "Scan" button and take a photo of the document - the PDF file will be in the "My Disk" section.

In favor Google Drive say a large number of supported file formats (over 30), the ability to configure offline access to documents, support for the SSL protocol, which guarantees the security of stored information. Active users of ecosystem services Google you don’t even need to think about looking for another cloud storage - Google Drive make them 100% satisfied!

Premium subscription cost:

Yandex.Disk

• Free seat: 3 GB expandable up to 10 GB.
• Maximum size of one file: 10 GB (when using the program) / 2 GB (when downloading via browser).
• Maximum amount of space: 1 TB.
• Mobile OS Compatibility: Supported on Android above 4.0.3, iOS above 8.0, Windows Phone 7 / 8 and Symbian 9.3.

In terms of disk space limitations, the Russian service Yandex.Disk looks completely uncompetitive compared to cloud storage Google Drive. In particular, instead of 15 "free" gigabytes, only 3 gigabytes are provided to the user. Another 7 GB can be obtained for participating in the referral program, but not every user wants to spam their friends. The maximum amount of disk space for one account is also small - only 1 TB (for Google 30 TB). However, exactly Yandex.Disk is considered among domestic users the most popular "cloud". For what reasons?

At Yandex.Disk other benefits than the service from Google, and for a Russian they are important. In the "cloud" from Yandex, for example, it is possible to upload photos and videos from social networks " In contact with" And " Classmates» directly without the use of additional software. Cloud storage is integrated with all kinds of services from Yandex, can be integrated with the office suite Office 2013, as well as connect to TVs equipped with the function SmartTV.

Besides, Yandex.Disk has the right to boast of its cross-platform - there are web clients and mobile applications not only under iOS, Android, Windows, but also under linux And Symbian.

At the same time, Google experts linux- they are only working on a version of their cloud storage, and apparently they do not intend to release applications for Windows Phone and Symbian at all. Among domestic users of mobile technology, there are a lot of fans of the company and its smartphones running exactly on the two operating systems named earlier - these users have a mobile Google Drive not available.

As a result, we can say that the popularity Yandex.Disk in Russia is due not only to the desire of users to support the domestic brand, but also to the presence of quite tangible advantages over foreign services.

Premium subscription cost:

One Drive

• Free seat: 5 GB
• Maximum size of one file: 10 GB.
• Maximum amount of space: 5 TB.
• Mobile OS Compatibility: Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 9.0, Windows Phone 7 / 8, Symbian Belle and MeeGo 1.2.

Among cloud storage OneDrive from Microsoft- a real dinosaur. This service has been operating since 2007, but until 2014, users were familiar with it under the name skydrive. I had to go to renaming because of a lawsuit with a television company BSkyB who accused Microsoft in plagiarism.

Unfortunately, lately the "cloud" OneDrive became more and more rapidly losing ground and yielding to similar services from Google and other developers. The fact that in 2016 Microsoft reduced the amount of free space in its cloud storage from 15 GB to 5 GB, obviously did not add OneDrive popularity. "Cloud" Microsoft does not have any outstanding advantages over analogues - the main advantages of this service are integration with the package Office 365 and the ability to organize simultaneous work on documents online. Alas, other services also give access to documents, but in addition they offer a lot of other "goodies".

Continue to store information in OneDrive it is advisable only for those users who applied to the services of this service before the reforms of 2016. Old account holders still have access to 15 free gigabytes.

Premium subscription cost:

Mega

• Free seat: 50 GB.
• Maximum size of one file: unlimited (when downloading from a browser - 2 GB).
• Maximum amount of space: 4 TB.
• Mobile OS Compatibility: Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 7.0, Windows Phone 7/8, 10.

Just think - 50 free gigabytes! Whereas competitors offer only 10-15 GB! About cloud storage Mega- the brainchild of the New Zealand company of the same name - I want to tell so much that it would be enough for several articles.

"Cloud" Mega It is remarkable not only for the large amount of free space. Safety has always been considered its main advantage. Actually, to create Mega developer Kim Dotcom was prompted by the scandalous revelations of Edward Snowden, who said that American citizens can only dream of confidentiality of information. Mega uses end-to-end encryption: data is encrypted in the browser - as a result, the program Mega does not know what information the user has loaded onto the disk.

However, Kim Dotcom himself undermined the credibility of his offspring, saying in 2015 that personal information is in danger and users should urgently make backup copies.

According to the creator of the service, the company experienced significant pressure from the US government, and this pressure was expressed mainly in the refusal to cooperate with Mega all payment systems, including PayPal. In fact, the start-up was doomed to exist without cash receipts at all. In the end, Kim Dotcom announced an unfriendly takeover of the company by Chinese investors and left - in his own words, to develop a competitor program for Mega.

History since Mega like a conspiracy thriller. Each user must decide for himself whether to trust the personal data of a company with such an ambiguous reputation. It is worth noting that in addition to Dotcom itself, the safety of information in Mega so far no one has complained.

Premium subscription cost:

Mail.ru cloud

• Free seat: 25 GB.
• Maximum size of one file: 2 GB (with the purchase of a place - 32 GB).
• Maximum amount of space: 4 TB.
• Mobile OS Compatibility: Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 7.0, Windows Phone above version 8.

Service Cloud Mail.ru, having appeared in 2013, immediately pleased users with an attraction of unprecedented generosity - each was provided with 100 free gigabytes. Later, the amount of free space was reduced to 16 GB, then increased to 25 GB - this limit is still relevant.

Among the advantages Mail.ru cloud” includes not only a large amount of free space. The service boasts a high download and upload speed for domestic users, as well as cross-platform - " Mail.ru cloud”, for example, is available to advanced users, on whose computers it is “worth” linux.

It is worth mentioning the shortcomings of the service. According to user reviews, " Cloud Mail.ru" is very "buggy" and often crashes when launched on older versions of Windows.

Users also complain that Mail.ru Group in addition to its cloud storage, it installs various toolbars and agents behind the scenes - but this is already a familiar story.

Premium subscription cost:

Conclusion

The choice of users who are not afraid that their data will be stolen by foreign intelligence agencies is obvious - Google Drive is the most convenient cloud storage, giving an impressive amount of free space for free. Users who wish to support a domestic manufacturer should pay attention to Yandex.Disk And Mail.ru cloud. Both services, however, have very significant drawbacks: the cloud from Yandex provides little disk space, and the product from Mail and it's still quite "raw".

I would like to note that there is no dropbox one of the pioneers of cloud computing. Flaw dropbox in that it offers only 2 GB of free space - a trifle in today's times. In addition, the cloud service does not show flexibility in purchasing additional space; individuals are offered only 1 tariff. Otherwise, as disrespect for users, it is difficult to regard it.