Here is how I use online storage options ( your choices
may be different)
There are free and paid versions of most online storage services. You
can simplify your life, if you pay more, by using one service primarily for all
your storage and pay for the highest amount of space you can afford. However, for me, money is a major factor in my choices, so I try to find a way to
maximize my storage at minimal cost.
iCloud
I pay $1.50 or so per month for the first paid tier of iCloud storage, and I use it exclusively for backing up my Apple devices. I don’t do full
backups. I find that if I ever get a newer device I’d rather start fresh and simply restore my
notes, contacts, safari bookmarks, calendars, reminders and photos. I pay for
the extra space because of photos.
If you prefer to simply restore an old iPad, all settings intact, to a
new one, be sure you have enough space to do full backups. iCloud storage plans
are reasonably priced in comparison to some other services.
You can use iCloud backup on your Mac, and you can also get iCloud for
Windows and use iCloud Drive to back up folders on your PC, but if sharing
files is important, and easy access across all devices, some other services can
be simpler.
Dropbox
My all time favorite of all the services is still Dropbox, but for
1TB of space it’s around $99 per year. I would absolutely pay that if I could
but for now I use the 2GB free plan and I use it mostly for files I want to
share with others.
I find Dropbox’s shared folders options, and easy to use Dropbox links
options, nice and easy when I want to share files.
OneDrive
Since I have Office 365, which, to save costs, I share with several
other people, I have 1TB of OneDrive space (each person I share with has their
own 1TB of space) so even though I still prefer Dropbox in some ways, I use my
OneDrive space as my primary storage and backup. When I built up my computer I
installed a second hard drive for my personal files, separate from my Windows
and Programs Files. I save all documents, photos, videos, music and downloads to that drive and have it automatically back up to OneDrive.
Google Drive
I also have a free plan with Google Drive and I use that to store my
e-book collection.
The reason for that is that I share my books with family members so I
can give them access to that drive without them having access to any other
files.
Their are other services available with free plans out there, like Box
and Mozy, but I like Google Drive and I think that it isn’t going away anytime soon.
In summary
for Apple Devices I use iCloud
For sharing features I love Dropbox
For cost purposes I use OneDrive
For a single use option I use Google Drive
I have downloaded apps for all these services on my iPad and can
therefore add them all to the files app. I can then access all my stored files
in one app. That’s really useful.
Your choices could well be different to mine. This blog post is not so
much a recommendation of any particular online storage plan, but more an example of how you can use online storage
plans to your own benefit.
