Cloud disk. Cloud services. Review of free online storage

Without cloud services it is already difficult to imagine modern work with data. And this applies not only to work files and documents, but also to personal archives. And yet, many still prefer to store valuable files, especially photographs, on a computer, hard drive or flash drive, rather than trusting them to servers located God knows where.

And this is a very big mistake.

Storing photos and other files in the cloud is much more convenient and reliable. This, firstly, gives you access to them from any device connected to the Internet, and secondly, it provides greater reliability, because losing a flash drive or damaging a hard drive with gigabytes of invaluable data is much easier than losing access to a cloud archive, for which the owner company responds with its reputation.

But which cloud storage should you choose - more impressive, larger, more functional? To help you navigate, we have selected the most interesting options and studied their advantages and disadvantages. To make it more convenient, we indicated not only the minimum free volume offered in each of them, but also approximately how many photos will fit (based on the average size of each photo of 4 MB).

There was a time when Mail.ru scattered free gigabytes: the company provided no less than 1 TB for free use. But the freebie is expected to end, and now only 16 GB are offered in the free Mail.ru cloud. 64 GB will cost 69 rubles. per month or 690 rub. per year, and 128 GB - 149 rubles. monthly or 1490 rub. per year. You should also take into account that there is a limit on the maximum file size - up to 32 GB.

There are applications for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, as well as desktop clients for major operating systems - Windows, OS X, Linux. The Mail.ru Cloud service primarily impresses with its space and the fact that it is “ours.”

If for some reason you don’t trust foreign Google, Apple, Microsoft and so on, then this is definitely the place for you.

iCloud storage is probably familiar to any user of Apple gadgets. iCloud Drive can store information that makes working with Apple devices much easier and forms the notorious ecosystem. Notes, calendars, reminders, program settings, documents, photos, mail, contacts, media library with playlists, backups - everything is synchronized without user intervention, which greatly simplifies life. Nothing prevents you from installing the official client on Windows, but, as in the case of iTunes, the program works more stable in its native environment.

There is a browser version, but it is not very convenient and also does not work on mobile devices. Otherwise, iCloud Drive storage is a full-fledged analogue of any other cloud: creating folders, storing data in them, and so on. 5 GB is provided for free - this is enough for text documents and syncing the most important applications (say, Notes, Reminders, Music, Documents, iPhone backup), but nothing more. Apple allows you to buy up to 2 TB of space - the most expensive tariff will cost 1,490 rubles. per month.

The iCloud service will definitely be useful to users of Apple products, but if you use devices from other manufacturers, there is no point in choosing it.

Dropbox can be considered the popularizer of cloud storage. The service was founded ten years ago, in 2007, and a fully finished version appeared three years later. With free Dropbox you can't really go wild - only two gigabytes. This is only enough for working documents; you can immediately forget about a full-fledged photo archive.

For $9.99 per month ($8.25 if paid annually), you get 1 TB of space, and there are enterprise plans that promise "as much space as you need." This option is not available to individuals.

A paid Pro account - the one for $9.99 - unlocks additional features: increased bandwidth, access options, passwords for links, and so on.

Dropbox is undoubtedly one of the most convenient and functional cloud services, but it's only worth making it your primary photo storage location if you're willing to pay for more storage space.

Another Russian repository, along with Cloud Mail.ru. Yandex is very generous to its users: it gives additional space for inviting friends, on the occasion of the service’s birthday (+5 GB), and also periodically organizes promotions. For each friend you invite, you will receive 512 MB, a maximum of 10 GB of space can be increased using this method. Partnership promotions are often held: for example, 30 GB were distributed to buyers of Sony laptops and Intel ultrabooks, and owners of several models of Samsung laptops received as much as 250 GB. When registering, 10 GB are allocated - quite normal, this is no longer a measly 2 GB.

Additional 10, 100 and 1000 GB cost 30, 80 and 200 rubles. per month, respectively, and when purchasing an annual package, multiply the amounts by ten. Yandex.Disk is presented for major mobile and desktop systems. There is a separate program for SmartTV: you can watch photos and videos on your smart TV without additional devices. However, there are similar applications for other services.

Yandex.Disk is one of the best offers on the market in terms of price-to-volume ratio, and there is always a chance to save money using promotions and discounts.

One of the giants of the world market offers a lot of opportunities. Almost any format is readable, tight integration with the Gmail mailbox is implemented, smart search by photos, just like Apple - for example, by writing “cats”, a list of not only text documents with this word will appear, but also photographs of animals.

Plus programs for working with tables, texts, presentations, and so on. In terms of ecosystem capabilities, Google is not inferior, and in some places even surpasses Apple. If you combine everything in one service, you get convenient storage for all occasions. The service provides 15 GB for free, for $5 per month the space increases to 30 GB, and for $10 the space is unlimited.

Google Drive is one of the most popular user cloud storage services, and this fame is well deserved.

The cloud service Microsoft OneDrive was previously called SkyDrive, but due to a lawsuit with the television company BSkyB, the name had to be changed. 5 GB is offered free of charge, for 72 rubles. per month - 50 GB. The following tariff plans come with Office 365: 1 TB for RUB 2,699. per year or an account for five people with a total volume of 5 TB, each user has access to a terabyte. Moreover, this is not a business tariff: you can, for example, organize a family storage unit.

The line of tariffs for business is presented separately: maximum RUB 9,372. per year per user for 1 TB of space and access to Office 365. OneDrive's capabilities are the same as other storages: collaboration on files, exchange of documents, smart sorting of photos by tags, and so on.

If sharing cloud storage is important to you, and you also use Office 365 or other Microsoft products, OneDrive is definitely your option.

Mega

The company places special emphasis on information confidentiality: end-to-end encryption is used, which should improve data security. If this doesn't seem convincing, the company has another powerful trump card - 50 free GB. No one else will offer so much for nothing.

If that's not enough, the company offers paid plans of 200, 500, 2000 and 4000 GB for 4.99, 9.99, 19.99 and 29.99 euros per month. The service is not particularly popular, but the size of the available spaces is impressive, especially the free option.

The main disadvantage is that it is a little-known startup, and not an industry giant. Hence such generosity: neither Google, nor Dropbox, nor Microsoft need to lure users - people come to them themselves. Unlike Megaj.

Certain questions were also raised by the statement of the startup founder named Kim Dotcom, who left Mega and stated that he did not consider the service safe. And this despite the fact that the cloud uses encryption in the browser itself through the reliable AES algorithm.

If you want the maximum and for free, and are not afraid of rumors and negative reviews, Mega is suitable for you.

We draw a conclusion

Large storage facilities (OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud, Yandex.Disk and others) can automatically synchronize photos when devices are connected. In addition, you can back up smartphones to iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox. In collaboration on documents, either file sharing or collective accounts will help.

Please also note that you add all content at your own risk. It’s better to get rid of materials prohibited by law altogether (if you happen to have them), but you certainly shouldn’t upload them to the cloud. And pirated films, for example, may not load at all.

Some storage facilities are more aimed at the corporate segment, while others are more aimed at home use. If you don’t want to spend money, you can create an account in at least each service: one for documents, another for photos, a third for backup copies of files. It won't be very convenient, but it will be free. But the best option is to pay and immediately get all the features and a decent place on the cloud.

Today, cloud storage is an integral part of our lives. Many people and organizations store their files there, thereby ensuring their safety and security, as well as ease of access for various users and comfort in work. At the same time, the functionality of these services in 2018 may differ in the presence (or absence) of any elements essential for cloud services, inspiring the user to choose the most convenient one. In this material, I will tell you what free cloud storages with large amounts of memory are available in 2018, describe the features of their functionality, and also explain how to work with them.

We study cloud storages with large volumes for free 2018

Nowadays, there are a sufficient number of cloud services on the Internet that offer users their services for hosting and storing user files. However, these services differ:

• by the volume of paid and free space provided;
• on the possibilities of encrypting data located in the cloud;
• by the speed of working with them;
• if possible, support the service on mobile devices (in the form of specialized applications);
• the possibility of restoring previously deleted files, the presence of a built-in media player, support for various languages, and so on.

At its core, cloud storage works on a similar principle. You go to such a storage facility, register there, and receive a predetermined amount of empty space for your needs. You can upload and download files from there, share links to these files with the right people, view them, and perform other relevant actions.

Many storages support file synchronization: for example, a folder is created on your PC into which you copy the necessary files, and these files will be automatically copied to the cloud service.

I would also note that over the past couple of years, leading market players have been pursuing a policy to reduce the space provided to the user free of charge. In particular, in 2016, Microsoft reduced the amount of free space provided in its OneDrive from 15 gigabytes to 5 gigabytes. Other well-known players are pursuing a similar policy, significantly reducing the amount of free space on their resources.

The best cloud data storage services for free

Let's consider cloud services, the free services of which we can use.

Service "pCloud" - allows you to store and send large files

1. To start working with the service, follow the above link and go through the registration procedure.
2. After completing the procedure, you will be taken to the Yandex.Disk workspace, where you can create directories, upload files to them, delete files, share the desired folder, and so on.

Service "Cloud.Mail.ru"

“Mail.ru Cloud” is another well-known cloud service with a large volume from the Mail.ru company. 8 gigabytes of free space are provided for free. Supports work with shared folders, two-factor authentication, online document editing, automatic, selective synchronization and other functions.

To work with this cloud service, follow the link, log in (if necessary), and start using the rather classic cloud functionality.

Degoo service

The Degoo service offers as much as 100 gigabytes of free space, and this is not a standard cloud service, but a cloud service for storing backup copies of files.

• It does not support file synchronization.
• Does not allow you to share your files with friends.
• Does not support scheduled file copying.
• It does not have other relevant bonuses available to the usual cloud service.

At the same time, you can connect many devices to Degoo, including a laptop and a mobile phone. Scheduled backups are not available here, but the service automatically makes copies of files once every 24 hours.

To work with the service, follow the link, download this application to your device, and start using its functionality. Uploading files using this service will also not cause you any problems; try this cloud storage for free.

Conclusion

This material described the best, in my opinion, cloud storage systems with large amounts of data that provide free functionality in 2018. In terms of general functionality, the pCloud service is one of the best in its segment, therefore I recommend that users directly experience the multifunctional capabilities of this service. It is also worth taking a closer look at the other alternatives I mentioned above; they all provide substantial amounts of disk space completely free of charge for their user.

A cloud is usually a large object that occupies a large area. In the technical field, a cloud is a virtual remote service that provides users with data storage, application hosting, or physical space virtualization. Nowadays, cloud computing is used not only by large but also by small companies.

There are mainly three types of cloud services.

SaaS(Software as a Service, software as a service) - providing users with access to other public clouds of large organizations to store their data, for example, Gmail.

PaaS(Platform as a Service, platform as a service) - providing the ability to host and run applications on their clouds, for example, Google App Engine allows users to host their applications.

IaaS(Infrastructure as a Service, infrastructure as a service) - allows you to virtualize any machine and, using the client, the user can get the feeling of a real machine.

Cloud storage means storing the user's local files on special dedicated servers on the network that are designed for this. CompuServe was the first to offer its customers 128 kilobytes of disk space that could be used to store their files. Now this area is at the stage of active development and due to potential threats such as loss of data or information, hacking, and other similar cases, many organizations are releasing their cloud solutions that guarantee data confidentiality, this strengthens confidence in the success of cloud technologies.

In this article we will look at several solutions in this area. We will focus on open source software that is used by a huge number of people and large organizations. We will analyze only the best cloud services of 2016.

In the list of the best cloud storage services, OwnCloud is one of the first places. A Dropbox replacement for Linux users, it provides many features similar to those of Dropbox. Just like Dropbox, OwnCloud allows you to sync files between your local computer and a remote server.

Since it is an open source solution, users can get unlimited free storage space for their data by hosting this software on their server. The project started in January 2015 with the goal of providing an open source replacement for private, closed cloud storage. It is written in PHP, JavaScript, and is available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS, and there are also mobile applications for Android and iOS.

OwnCloud uses Webdav server for remote access and can integrate with a large number of databases, including SQLite, MariaDB, Oracle Database, PostgreeSQL.

A large number of functions are supported, such as encryption, file storage, music streaming, content sharing via URL, Mozilla synchronization server, RSS aggregator for reading news feeds, one-click installation of programs, viewing videos, PDF, editing office documents and much more.

The latest version of OwnCloud 8.2 adds several new features such as an improved design, the ability to notify users, and a time limit for storing files in the recycle bin.

2. Seafile

Another file hosting based on open source software. It is written in C and Python, the latest stable version is 4.4.3, released on October 15, 2015.

Seafile's best cloud storage providers provide a desktop client for Windows, Linux, and OS X, as well as mobile clients for Android, IOS, and Windows Phone. Along with the free implementation of the Community Edition, released under the GPL license, there is a professional edition under a commercial license that provides additional features - some user protocols and the ability to search for text.

The project switched to open source distribution in July 2011, which attracted a lot of attention. Its main functionality is data synchronization, with an emphasis on security. Key features: online file editing, differential synchronization, minimal network bandwidth usage, and client data encryption. It is these features that have made this software popular in many foreign universities: University of Mainz, University of Berlin and University of Strasbourg, as well as among many people around the world.

3. Pydio

This is a free cloud storage, or rather file hosting, formerly known as AjaXplorer. Its goal is to provide its users with file hosting, file sharing, and synchronization. The project was started in 2009 by Charles DeJue and since 2010 has been supplied on all NAS equipment from LaCie.

Pydio is written in PHP and JavaScript and is available for Windows, Linux, MacOS, and also Android. There are now about half a million downloads from Sourcefoge. The service is endorsed by companies such as RedHat and Oracle. This is one of the most popular cloud storage services on the market.

Pydio itself is simply a kernel that runs on a web server and can be accessed through any web browser. Webdav's interface makes it an ideal online file management solution, SSL/TLS encryption makes data transfer secure and maintains privacy. Also available is a text editor with syntax highlighting, audio and video playback, integration with Amazon S3, FTP, or MYSQL, an image editor, and file and folder sharing using public URLs.

4. Ceph

Ceph was originally developed by Sage Well as a PhD thesis, but in the fall of 2007 he continued working on the project and expanded the development team. In April 2014, Red Hat took part in development. Currently, eight versions of the program have been released, the last release took place on April 7, 2015. This is a distributed cluster written in C++ and Perl with a high degree of scalability and is also freely available.

Data can be brought into Ceph as a block device, a file, or as an object via the RADOS gateway, which supports Amazon S3 and OpenStack Swift.

These free cloud storage services are data secure, scalable and reliable, here are the additional features:

• Network file system with high performance
• Compatible with virtual machine clients
• Object-level mapping

Syncany, released about two years ago in March 2014, is one of the lightest on the list - the best cloud services of 2016 for data storage and file sharing systems. Currently under active development by Philipp Heckel and available as a command line tool for all systems. The GUI is still under development.

One of the most important things about Syncany is that it is just a tool. Therefore, you need to have your own storage accessible via FTP, SFTP, Webdav, Samba or Amazon S3.

6. Cozy

This tool provides not only file access and synchronization, but a complete package of features that will help you build your own application platform.

Like Syncany, Cozy provides flexibility to the user in terms of disk space. You can use your personal servers or trust data to Cozy servers. To function properly, this software requires two more projects - CouchDB for database storage and Whoosh for indexing. The program is available for all platforms, including smartphones.

The main features that make this solution one of the best: the ability to store all contacts, files, calendar in the cloud, and synchronize all this between a laptop and a smartphone.

Another notable feature is that Cozy is lightweight. A version of Cozy Light has been released that can even run on Raspberry Pi or cheap VPS hosting.

7. GlusterFS

GlusterFS is a network file system for storing files. The project was originally developed by Gluster Inc, but has now been taken over by Red Hat. Following a 2011 lawsuit from Gluster Inc, RedHat renamed its product Red Hat Gluster Storage. It is available for most platforms: Linux, OS X, NetBSD, OpenSolaris. The project was used as a basis for scientific research.

GlusterFS uses a client-server model, with servers deployed as storage clusters. The client can connect to the server using a native protocol over TCP/IP, Infiband or SDP and store files on the GlusterFS server. To ensure data storage reliability, file-based and replication-based data mirroring, load balancing, disk caching scheduling, etc. are used.

Another useful feature is that the data is stored in native file systems such as ext4, xfs, etc.

StackSync is a Dropbox-like tool that runs on OpenStack, designed to solve the problems of organizations to sync all their data in one place. It is written in Java and released under the GPLv3 license.

Its structure consists of three main components: a synchronization server, OpenStack, and a desktop or mobile client. The server handles metadata and logic, OpenStack is focused on data persistence, and desktop clients help users synchronize data with their personal cloud.

SyncStack uses various data optimizations that allow the system to scale to meet the needs of thousands of people to efficiently use cloud resources. Additional features: RESTFull API as a Swift module, which allows you to use mobile applications and applications from third-party developers to synchronize data. There is also a separation between data and metadata making this solution very flexible for deployment on different configurations.

Another prominent entry on the list of the best cloud storage services of 2016, Git-annex is a file synchronization solution developed by Joy Hess and released in October 2010. This solution also provides file sharing and synchronization, but does not rely on any commercial service or central server. It is written by Haskell and is available for Android, Linux, OS X and Windows.

Git-annex - manages the user's GIT repository without saving the session. Instead, it only stores links to files in the GIT repository, and manages the files associated with the link. It also provides file mirroring, which is necessary when restoring data.

In addition, this service provides instant access to files as soon as you need them. It should be noted that git-annex is available for many Linux distributions, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debain, etc.

10. Yandex.Disk

Yandex Disk is a cloud storage and synchronization service released in April 2012 and available for all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, OS X, Android, iOS and Windows Phone. It allows users to sync their data between different devices and shares it with everyone on the internet.

Yandex Disk provides its users with many different functions: a built-in flash player, file sharing between users by exchanging links, file synchronization between different devices, unlimited storage time, WebDav support.

11. Bitcasa

Developed by Bitcasa Inc, a California-based company, this is another cloud service for data storage and synchronization. Available for Windows, OS X, Android and Linux. Not all components of the program are open source, but it is still related to it, since it uses projects such as gcc/clang, libCurl, OpenSSL, APR, Rapid JSON, etc.

The main features are file storage, sharing, and encryption, which makes data storage much safer. It is these features that make it popular among customers from more than 140 countries around the world.

12.nas4free

NAS stands for Attached Network Storage or connected Internet storage. 4free means its free and free nature. The program was released in May 2012. This is a network server for storing data, with a user interface written in PHP. It supports i386/IA-32 and x86-64 architectures.

Nas4Free supports sharing between multiple operating systems, ZFS, data encryption, protocols such as Samba, CARP, Bridge, FTP, RSYNC, TFTP, NFS.

Unlike other programs, nas4free can be installed and run from USB, and can also be run from Live USB or LiveCD. Nas4free has won several awards, Project of the Month (August 2015) and Project of the Week (May 2015).

Conclusions

These were all the most interesting and best cloud services of 2016 for storing and synchronizing data, they have either already gained great popularity over the years or have just been released and are ready to make their huge contribution to this industry. Our review of free cloud storage is complete. If you know of other great cloud services that you or your organization uses, please post in the comments.

Today, cloud storage with large amounts of data occupy an important niche in storing the necessary information, and many of them are completely free.

Hello my dear readers and blog guests. Today, many Internet users practice cloud data storage. All important information can be saved in the cloud, which avoids file loss, for example, if the hard drive is damaged. And if you need to use data far from your computer, then you just need to find a device with Internet access and use the cloud web interface, which eliminates the need to carry a flash drive with you.

Most modern smartphones support automatic uploading of captured photos and videos directly to the cloud as soon as a connection to a Wi-Fi network is established. This eliminates the need to establish a connection between each gadget and the computer using USB, because there is a single disk space for all your devices. If necessary, you can configure synchronization of other files other than the media format.

At the moment, about a dozen cloud data storages with large volumes are available to any Internet user for free 2018. Thanks to such diversity, everyone can find a cloud that suits their needs. Let's consider free cloud data storage services.

The best cloud data storage with large capacity for free

1. Yunpan 360 - 36 TB

The undoubted leader in the list of cloud data storage is the Chinese project Yunpan 360. The cloud provides as much as 36 TB (yes, yes, terabytes) of free space for storing personal data. The only drawback of the portal is the only interface language, of course, Chinese. Fortunately, Russian craftsmen have already developed step-by-step instructions and a method of Russification; you can find them on the website yunpan.ru.

The mechanism for obtaining 36 TB is as follows:

1. Register on the site and receive 10 TB after installing the client for Windows.
2. Adding 26 TB to your account after installing the client on Android.

If you cope with the difficulties of the Chinese language and make friends with the project's interface, you can get disk space that will last almost a lifetime. Well, if 36 TB is not enough for you, then there are two ways to expand this volume:

2. Mega - 50 GB

The name “Mega” is an acronym that stands for MEGA Encrypted Global Access. Developers pay great attention to security and the process of protecting information. This file storage service rightfully takes second place on our list. The company offers 50 GB of free space, which competing cloud storage services in our market segment cannot boast of. In addition, all files are encrypted using the AES algorithm right in the browser window. Those. Even the project administration cannot open the files you uploaded, because they are reliably protected by cryptographic transformation. Information access keys are not available in clear text and are transferred on a Friend-to-Friend basis, i.e. between users who trust each other.

3. [email protected]

This is the development of the domestic holding Mail.ru Group. Provides 25 GB of free disk space to store any files, but this requires register Mail.ru mail. The cloud for storing data and the mail service are mutually integrated, for example, a file from an incoming letter can be sent to cloud storage with one click. For mobile device users, the developers have provided automatic synchronization of files captured on the gadget’s camera. Once connected to a fast Internet connection, the smartphone automatically starts sending new files from the camera to the cloud. [email protected] is a fairly young project that appeared in 2013. It is possible that over time the functionality will increase significantly. Unfortunately, it is impossible to expand the amount of disk space for free, although there used to be promotions where they first gave 1 TB of space for registration, and then even 100 GB.

4. Hubic Data Warehouse

An online data storage service with a fairly generous affiliate program. The company provides 25 GB of free disk space after registration. Does it seem like this is not enough? The developers give 2.5 TB of additional space for 5 invited friends, and the friends themselves also receive 30 GB of consolation prizes each.

5. Google Drive

Probably the most famous cloud data storage, because... is one of the services of such a search giant as Google. The project is integrated with most Google services, such as Google Sheets (spreadsheet), Google Slides (presentations), Google Docs (text documents), Gmail (email). When you create, for example, a text document in the Google cloud, it is automatically saved to Google Drive. After activation, the company is ready to provide 15 GB of free space. Experience shows that this volume is quite sufficient for work purposes.

Excellent balance between quantity and quality, one of the best cloud storages with a large volume for free 2018. There is an application for both computers and mobile devices that synchronizes files automatically. To increase space, you can take advantage of the promotion that Google holds every year. The algorithm is simple: you pass the Google account security check and receive additional gigabytes for free.

6. 4shared

The file storage service, which ranks 82nd on the list of the most popular Internet resources according to Alexa, processes more than 300 TB of traffic every day. After registration, 10 GB of disk space becomes available, you can add another 5 GB if you confirm your email address. Unfortunately, there are no other ways to expand the volume of cloud data storage. For free accounts, there is a limitation on the storage period of files - 180 days from the time of the last interaction with the account. The user interface resembles that of Windows Explorer.

7. Yandex.Disk

Another domestic project, which is a cloud data storage with a large volume for free 2018. As in Google Drive and [email protected], here mail and storage are mutually connected. Yandex makes it possible to use a cloud disk of 10 GB in size. It is possible to expand it by 10 GB if you bring 20 friends, for each of them they give 512 MB. And if you took part in a partner’s promotion, you will be rewarded with another 50 GB. The conditions for these events change regularly, so you need to constantly monitor the project news.

8. MediaFire

Cloud service for storing files, functionality similar to 4shared or dropbox. First of all, it was created for storing and sharing media files (videos, images or music). 10 GB of free space is available for free, and also with advertising. The Windows client has certain problems in use, for example, you cannot share a file on your computer. Therefore, it is recommended to use the application on a mobile device, and on a computer to use the interface on the project website.

9. Cubby

Cloud data storage, which allows you to use 5 GB of free space upon completion of registration. Cubby is a development from LogMeIn, which creates and supports networking products for businesses, so there is no doubt about the reliability and stability of this solution. Previously, registration was impossible without an invitation, but now every Internet user can access the service. If desired, disk space can be increased to 25 GB if you take part in the referral program.

Conclusion

Choose cloud storage with a large capacity, which is provided free of charge in 2018, depending on the type of tasks solved using the cloud and specific requirements for the service. There is no point in learning the intricacies of the Chinese language for the sake of 36 TB of free space if you only have 7 GB of important information. And using cryptography to protect the privacy of a photo of your favorite cat makes very little sense.

Do you do video shooting or do you do it all the time? make backups? Then be sure to pay attention to Yunpan 360. Are you a busy person and you need to have all the documents at hand, and each of your devices needs to have up-to-date information?

Google Drive along with integrated office services will do the job perfectly. Are you afraid for the safety and confidentiality of your data? Take a look at Mega, which uses the AES cryptographic algorithm. Well, if you are an ordinary Internet user who sometimes takes photos on your phone and is looking for a place to store files in the cloud, then [email protected] will more than cover your needs.

Cloud data storage is a set of servers distributed over a network. The service of storing data in such structures is provided by a third party.

The data in them is stored not on dedicated servers owned or leased by the service provider, but on many different, often significantly remote from each other, servers.

The popularity of using cloud storage is growing. As demand grows, supply also expands.

The storage supports storing 30 types of files. You can work with the cloud either in a browser or using a client program.

Advantages:

Close interaction with other Google services;

Many integrated capabilities (processing documents and images, etc.);

Offline mode of operation;

Flaws:

Shared space with other Google services. 15 GB becomes conditional;

Lack of data encryption;

Limitations when working with proxy servers.

[email protected]

A relatively new service from Mail.ru provides new users with an unprecedented 100 GB of free space.

If desired, you can increase the amount of available space up to 1 TB, of course, for a fee.

The cloud has applications for all major operating systems and mobile platforms. The main feature is synchronizing the camera with the cloud.

When the function is enabled, each new photo is immediately sent to storage.

Advantages:

Large free volume;

Good cross-platform;

Instant Snapshots;

Flaws:

Hidden installations of additional software;

Unstable operation on some OS;

No encryption.

SkyDrive(OneDrive)

Microsoft couldn't stand aside and provided its customers with its own cloud storage option.

15 GB of free space is available for free access. You can expand your free space using a referral program.

Another free service from the Russian postal service. To begin with, 10 GB are provided free of charge with no limitation on the period of use.

Naturally, there is good integration with other products of the manufacturer.

Referral programs and constant cooperation with manufacturers allow you to increase storage.

Advantages:

Support for a large number of mobile and desktop platforms;

Possibility of integration into some Microsoft products;

Integration with Yandex products.

Flaws:

Substandard updates;

Inability to create files;

Lack of additional functions in the online interface.