Top cloud Apps to store your data

Vibhuti Jaitly

New Delhi: The trend of cloud computing is picking up and more and more people are making use of this.

Cloud computing is a way of storing pictures, emails, documents, video clips and other data on computers elsewhere. One can't fully rely on hard drives as they are prone to failure and one can't always have a backup for every data.

Picture this! You've stored all your vacation pictures in your phone or laptop and your memory card goes kaput. In such a situation, cloud comes to your rescue and is very useful.

Data stored on cloud is safe from hard drive crash and theft and you can access your data anywhere across the globe as long as you have an internet connection. Cloud acts like a storehouse for unlimited data digitally.

Now that the internet penetration has also increased and fast broadband and mobile broadband are accessible to most of us, the fascination for cloud storage is growing at a fast pace.

Let’s find out some free and extremely popular cloud services providers on which you can store data.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a favourite cloud storage means throughout the world. It has an excellent desktop client and full featured apps for Android, BlackBerry and iOS. Your data stays synced across all the devices you use. Dropbox is reliable and setting Dropbox is easy and like a cakewalk.

Put your stuff in Dropbox and access it from your computers, phones, or tablets. You can also edit documents, automatically add photos, and show off videos from anywhere.

Dropbox on certain new smartphones/tablets offers a bonus of 50GB data storage for two years.

And even if your phone goes for a swim, your stuff is always safe in Dropbox and can be restored in a snap. Dropbox secures your files with 256-bit AES encryption and two-step verification.

Google Drive

Google drive is a part of the Google Apps suite that offers cloud service. You can have access to 15GB of free storage if you have a Google account. Google Drive offers word processor, spreadsheet, presentation builder and, not to forget, pictures and videos.

The 15GB of data has to be shared with the Gmail account, photos on Google+ and any documents you create in Google Drive.

The data and files can be organised in the desktop application and then it will be synced with the cloud so that you can browse it from anywhere.

OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive)

Microsoft offers cloud storage option OneDrive, previously known as SkyDrive. People using Windows 8 and 8.1 have the built-in OneDrive in their operating system. For those who don't have the aforesaid OS, they can always download it.

You can store any kind of file, pictures, movies, documents and get an access to it through your cell phone or desktop. It also offers you Microsoft Office apps on its cloud.

Box

Box, which has been specifically designed for business and IT users, can also be used by everyone. You can sign up for the account and make use of this cloud service. Apart from offering the basic cloud facility such as storage, Box also helps you share files with your office co-workers/seniors. Assignments can be assigned to each other and you can also get a notification if any changes are made in the file.

You can either download the Box App for your desktop and sync in all your files or you can straightaway make use of the Box website. It is really a good option for business customers as it offers an array of tools and the privacy control is also strong.

Amazon Cloud Drive

Amazon cloud drive is a web storage App that allows you to access the storage space from up to eight specific devices. Amazon offers initial 5GB of free storage and charges you for the additional gigabytes.

You can store videos and photos you take with your phone to the cloud with its iOS and Android apps. There's also a desktop application where you can manage your files.

Surdoc

Surdoc offers a free storage of 100GB. Also, you needn't download the App to make use of the cloud storage facility. Just sign in through a web browser and sync your data, files, pictures and much more. It also keeps an automatic backup for all the data.

Apple iCloud

Apple Inc launched its cloud storage in October 2012. The service allows users to store data such as music, pictures and documents. It is easy to set up and use. iCloud provides an easy and reliable backup solution for customers who want to back up their iOS devices wirelessly and automatically.