Technical progress does not stand still. One technology, which eventually becomes impractical, goes away, and another, more advanced, comes to replace it. A clear example of this is the evolution of data storage methods. If earlier in the course were CD and DVD discs, now more and more people prefer to store information on flash-drives that are more compact in size and can accommodate much more information, besides they support multiple overwriting.
There is also a more advanced technology, which has not yet gained popularity among the masses, but has serious prospects - cloud storage services.
Any user who created an account in such a service can upload his files to the server and access them from any computer or other supported device (tablet, smartphone, etc.) on which he will log into his account. Agree, very practical: you can save time and money. The only drawback is that you must have access to the Internet. The absence of a connection will deprive you of access to the downloaded information. Fortunately, almost everyone has access to the network.
Comparison cloud services Storage: Dropbox, Google Drive, Cloud Mail, MediaFire, Yandex Disk, Microsoft OneDrive, Copy Com, Apple iCloud
In this article, we compare nine popular services cloud storage Data that will be evaluated by the three most important parameters for users: the size of the workspace, security of use and functionality. So, let's get going.
Size of the space provided
For those users who work with large files, the amount of disk space is a fundamental criterion. If the service can not provide the necessary space, its use for them will be inexpedient.
Dropbox, who was once one of the founders cloud technologies, now with confidence can be called an outsider, which in terms of disk space can not compete with other participants of the comparison. Only 2 gigabytes at registration, 1 gigabyte for a simple job and 13 gigabytes for attracting users on a referral program (500 megabytes per user, which was registered and installed by the client).
, providing only 15 gigabytes of free of charge on the server. And if you consider that the same space is used to store Google Docs documents and emailusers will have to be content with small. . For example, now 100 GB costs $ 2, 1 TB - $ 10. You can get a few tens of terabytes (I wonder who might need so much).
Cloud Mail.ru - whatever they say about the cloud storage Mail.ru, and there is enough free space on the servers for users. Each person who connects the service can use up to 100 gigabytes of space, uploading unlimited files there.
MediaFire - in the cloud MediaFire you can get 50 gigabytes of space, but the conditions for obtaining are rather complicated. The initial size of the disk space is only 10 gigabytes. Another 8 gigabytes can be obtained by installing certain applications and extensions, and the remaining 32 by inviting other people to become customers of the service. 1 additional gigabyte for each user.
Yandex Drive - cloud storage of the domestic company Yandex initially gives 3 GB free space, which, by simple manipulation, can easily be turned into 10 GB. An additional place is opened by attracting active referrals (500 megabytes per person). It also makes sense to monitor various stocks on the Yandex website. For example, now any subscriber of the tariff plan OnLime from Rostelecom can open another 100 GB, and bought a flash card Kingston with the Yandex logo - get as many gigabytes as the size of this flash drive.
Microsoft OneDrive allows you to use 15 gigabytes of information to any registered user, and if he is also the owner of a PC with installed Windows 8, then the size increases by another 10 gigabytes.
Mega gives newly arrived users 50 gigabytes free space for any files. Although this is a bit, but no additional fraud is necessary to conduct, unlike many other services of competitors.
Copy.com - another cloud service with a referral program. Initially, it gives out 15 gigabytes of free space, but for every user involved, not one miserable gigabyte is credited, but as many as 5 gigabytes. If you want to remove all the limitations inherent in the free version, and get from 250 gigabytes to 1 terabyte of free space, you will have to subscribe, paying monthly $ 5.
Apple iCloud - unlike many other Apple services, the storage can be used by PC holders, as well as mobile devices from other manufacturers. Free in iCloud gives 5 gigabytes of free space. Expansion of 20 gigabytes will cost 39 Russian rubles a month, 200 GB - 140 rubles a month. Maximum is 1 terabyte and it will cost 749 rubles monthly.
Security & Privacy
Many people do not want to use cloud services, because they are afraid of identity theft or are afraid that information for some reason will be lost. Let's see what the creators of the services were doing in terms of preventing such situations.
Dropbox uses modern data protection methods: SSL and 256-bit AES, which guarantees the safe transfer and storage of any files uploaded to the server. All applications and service extensions are checked for vulnerabilities and periodically updated. It is possible to connect 2-step verification.
At Google Drive in terms of technology competitiveness protection is not. . Of course, this does not negate the need to adhere to certain security rules - to set up confidentiality in the settings, to log out of the account upon completion of work from a public computer.
Any files downloaded to the Mail.ru cloud are tested by Kaspersky's utility for the presence of viruses and other malicious code. When utility bases are updated, the test is re-run. Files, like in other services, are encrypted. As for the shortcomings, it is worth noting the terms of the license agreement service, removing the entire responsibility of Mail.ru for any negative situations associated with unauthorized access, technical problems.
Microsoft OneDrive creates multiple copies of your files at once, placing them on different servers. If one of them fails, you will not lose the stored information. Protection from access by third parties is also presented at a decent level - a two-stage check, the restoration of the account with the help of additional data. There is an operational service technical support.
Yandex Disk. Encrypted connection prevents the interception of your personal data by intruders, and the ability to set a strong password - the penetration of third-party accounts. If suddenly your device (from which you go to the repository) will be lost, access from it can be blocked using a special option.
MediaFire has 2-step verification and encrypted connection. For those who do not plan to keep in the cloud really important information, this is more than enough.
Mega - all the files you upload to the Mega server, are automatically encrypted on your device, and the encrypted version is already in the vault, even the administration of this service can not access it. Honestly, with the last statement we are probably being deceived, but additional confidence in safety appears.
Copy.com not only protects user files from malicious usersin, but also from your own imprudence. During a certain period of time, files can be rolled back to previous versions and restore accidentally deleted.
Apple iCloud - any data that is downloaded to Apple iCloud, encrypted by AES technology 128-bit keys. Protection concerns not only the server itself, where the files are stored - also the process of uploading files to the server is also protected. If desired, you can connect a two-stage verification, which allows you to identify the user of the store by the device from which it is connected. On the other hand, everyone remembers the recent scandal with a huge number of candid photos of celebrities stolen from their iCloud. Vulnerability was quickly eliminated, but was it the only one?
Functionality and additional features
The ability to save files on the server is not the only thing that modern cloud storage services are capable of. Almost any such service has additional functions that can be useful to users.
Dropbox works fine both through the browser interface, and through installed application. All tools for creating and editing files are fully supported. What is noteworthy, modifiable files are loaded very quickly. This effect is achieved by partial editing (only the modified part of the edited file, previously compressed) is copied to the server.
Google Drive is characterized by a convenient and functional interface, which is intuitive even to novice users. . There are built-in tools for viewing and editing text documents and images of different formats. Supported work with mobile devices and there are additional functions designed specifically for them.
Cloud Mail.ru - many complain about the inconvenience of working with the repository through the browser, periodic mistakes and all in that spirit. The problem is solved by installing software to work with the service. In the rest, nothing special - there is a mobile client, integration with the mail and other standard functions.
Microsoft OneDrive - useful innovations in OneDrive quite a lot. The most significant of them is the ability to create and edit microsoft documents Office (Word, Excel, etc.) directly to the storage and sending files through Hotmail.
Yandex Disk boasts advanced functionality and wide coverage of supported systems, among which even mobile Windows Phone and Linux. Yandex Disk is integrated with a number of other Yandex services, which greatly facilitates the work.
MediaFire, in addition to its main function of storing files, allows you to share them on the Internet. Supports more than 200 file formats.
Mega performed well on iOS and Android devices, and also recently acquired an official client application (previously work was done exclusively through the browser).
Copy.com is quite similar in functionality to the above Dropbox, although it is advantageous for its beautiful and intuitive interface, as well as broad cross-platform.
Apple iCloud can only be fully appreciated by Apple device owners. Automatic synchronization with the cloud greatly facilitates the storage of data (photos, contacts, documents, etc.), and there is no need to install additional software. Windows owners who want to use iCloud will have to install iTunes, which is a bit inconvenient.
Let's sum up. What to choose?
Which of the following services can be called the best? Determining is quite difficult. Each repository has advantages and disadvantages. But if you choose the optimal (averaged) option, which will appeal to most, then the choice will fall on Google Drive.
Although it can not boast of a large free disk space, it is quite capable of meeting the needs of the average user. Keeping important files in this service, you can sleep peacefully - protection at the highest level. Technical problems and intruders are unlikely to harm you. .
Agree, if you already have an account in Gmail, what is the use of storage from Microsoft or Mail.ru, when you can easily access the mass of services, just entering your login and password into one form.
25.04.2017
Google provides its users with free 15 GB of space in the cloud storage and specialized online services for working with documents. All this can be obtained by going through a five-minute registration of your Google account.
What is Google Drive for?
Most people were faced with a problem when you need to quickly transfer files from one device to another. For example, photos from your phone can be quickly edited on your computer. Use flash drives for these purposes is inconvenient, because you need to have local access to the computer and each time pull out the Flash card from your smartphone.
Cloud storage easily solve this problem. When using Google Drive, the user is given 15 GB of space, it can be used to store and duplicate important information.
How to use the online version
To start using Google Drive, you must first create an account. If the user has Android device or Gmail mail, then you only need to remember the login information.
To register a new account, please go to this page. On it it will be necessary to enter all the required information (name, surname, year of birth, gender, phone number).
After the registration is over, you will need to confirm the phone, for this a message with a code will come to the number. It will have to be entered in a special field. After that you can start working with the cloud storage.
To run the online version, go to the site of the service.
Before the user will have a nice interface, through which you can add and modify files in the repository. Through the browser version you can:
- download and create folders and files;
- create documents, tables and presentations;
- process photos;
- view changed documents via browser.
The online version allows you to perform most of the same actions as on a computer. Google provides users with a full-fledged cloud office to work with different types of files. The most part of the window is occupied by the workspace, it contains all the files and folders that are in the repository.
All data is automatically synchronized with the programs on other computers. Therefore, if the change was made remotely from your phone or PC, you can immediately view the new documents through the online service Google Drive.
Google Drive for computer
Do not always want to use the online version of Google Drive. It is much more convenient to have a separate folder on the local laptop or PC, all files in which will automatically be synchronized with the cloud storage.
Initially, the software must be installed. This will take no more than 5 minutes.
Follow the instructions to install:
This completes the installation of the software. The principle of using the program is quite simple. Move important files to the Google Drive folder. Standard synchronization occurs immediately after connecting to the Internet. During this process, the icon in the tray is animated.
The installation for MacOS is exactly the same as on Windows, so there's no point in describing it separately.
Google Drive for smartphones and tablets
Google in addition to software for PCs and laptops created applications for iOS and Android. You can install them through the official stores of Play Market for Android and App Store for iOS.
Since the current Android OS belongs to Google, standard on any smartphone is built-in Google Drive. But if it is not installed initially, then it's easy to fix.
This completes the installation instructions. The program has a simple and intuitive interface. For iOS, all installation operations are exactly the same, except that the App Store is used for downloading. If you wish, you can set the automatic synchronization in the program settings, in this case all the pictures taken on the device will be sent to the cloud storage on their own.
How to use Google Drive
First, let's look at an example of working with cloud storage through a computer. On your device, locate the newly created folder named Google and the icon of Google Drive. Normally, it is located on the path C: / Users / Username / ». You can open this directory by double-clicking on the Google Drive icon in the Windows tray.
A window appears before the user "Explorer" Windows. To send something to the cloud storage, you just need to move the desired object to the designated folder. After a while, all data is automatically synchronized with the "cloud".
On Android and iOS, the application has an intuitive interface and the principle of the program is almost the same as on the computer.
Android and iOS application has an intuitive interface. Normally, the program automatically downloads photos and videos from the smartphone's camera to the cloud storage. Therefore, after the end of the shooting, you can immediately begin processing the files on your computer.
Information security and service reliability
Many are worried about the security of cloud storage methods. More and more often you can hear scandals about hacking iCloud and the publication of intimate photos of stars. With Google Disk, such incidents also happen, but this happens more likely because of the negligence of the user. After all, often the whole hacker attack is reduced to the search of passwords. To protect yourself against such information leakage, it is recommended to create reliable password phrases and change them regularly.
Cloud storage is available around the clock. In the event of a failure of one of the servers, the entire load is distributed among the remaining computing capacities. Therefore, information is available around the clock and access problems are extremely rare.
While working on the Internet, you often need to find a remote file store, through which you can share your content with other users of the worldwide network.
We already looked at you using the DropMeFiles service, as well. Of course, there are a lot of different services for storing files on the Internet, and I'll try to tell you more about a few, in my opinion, very convenient, both for those who share files and for those who download them.
First of all, considering these services, I pay attention to the convenience of their use, and not, for example, the ability to earn on them. Although there are file sharing for earnings, which pay a certain amount for a thousand downloads from them, but it seems to me that these amounts are scanty, and very few people on this can decently make money.
I myself tried to earn money on the file-sharing services at the very beginning of my acquaintance with the possibilities. But then I decided that it would be more perspective to engage in affiliate programs and a blog.
So, let's return to the question: what is all the same best file sharing service to store files? If you know any service that is worth mentioning, which is very convenient for working with it, and which I undeservedly overlooked, please write about it in the comments. Your experience will help other people to decide the question: where to store files on the Internet.
So, I will continue my review. Let me remind you that the services DropMeFiles and Yandex Drive we have already considered. I'll tell you about two more services.
Google Drive
It is very similar to Yandex Disk, only it gives as many as 15 GB at once. At the entrance to this service, he will offer you to download and install the Google Drive program, but, in principle, this is not necessary. You can close the block with this proposal so that it does not interfere with you by clicking on the cross in the lower left corner.
In order to get started with the service, go to google search , and click on the small icon Services located on the right side of the search bar. This icon with the image of nine black small squares - three in three rows. Click on this icon, and select item Disk .
To upload a file, click on the arrow button next to the button Create . You can upload a file, or you can - a whole folder. After uploading, the file or folder appears in the list.
There are two options for displaying uploaded files and folders - in the form of a list, and in the form of a table. The choice you make is by clicking on the icons at the top on the right side.
Selecting a file and clicking on the buttons at the top, you can change the access settings to it, move it to another folder, delete it, and if it's a picture - look. You can see the image by simply clicking on its name in the list. Through the button Yet At the top of the service window, you can also set other settings. You can, for example, forbid downloading an image, after which, if you give someone a link to the picture, he can only see it, but not download it.
After removal, to make room, you need to go to Shopping cart . It can be found in the left menu if you open the menu item Yet . Come in, clear the basket, and the space is freed for your new files.
To take a link, select the file, then click on the button Make shared , with the image of a little man with a plus, and copy the link from the window. There you also configure access levels. After the change, press the button Done , and if you did not change anything, but just took a link, you can press the key Esc on the computer keyboard.
File sharing Karelia
Located at file.karelia.ru . Without registering, you can download files, and take a link to them. Click on the item Upload file
, then the button Select files
, select the file on the computer, and click Open . Then click on the button Upload . Files are available within a month after the last download. If within a month no one downloads the file - it is deleted. This, of course, is a minus: you have to keep track of the terms, and if no one downloads the file, download it yourself. But plus that there is no limit to the total volume. The maximum file size is 800 MB.
To have access to all your downloaded files, you need to register, and download files from your office. In this case, you will have a new item My files , in which all your downloaded files are located. To get the link, just click on the file, and below the link appears in the window. To the right of the file name, you will see a green button Download file .
Below the file name you will see statistics - how many times your file was downloaded.
You can bookmark your most important files to find them faster.
Video on how to work with file sharing Google Drive and Karelia
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