You know what it’s like, you take a million selfies or capture a million moments with the family and before you know it you have run out of room on your phone. For many of us with 16GB phones, a few downloaded apps, a few bits of music and a couple of captured videos and we are up to our storage limits. Then you are stuck with the dilemma of what to keep and what to discard.
If you run your own business then your requirements may be entirely different. You may have copious amounts of data to store which you need to ensure is stored securely and is easy to access and manage at all times, from any device.
If you want to keep everything safe and easily accessible at all times you need to look no further than a good online storage solution that will ensure your pictures, important documents, and other files are kept safe and secure indefinitely.
You can choose from an extensive range of solutions but we thought we would help you make your decision with a few pointers on what to look out for.
Does the provider offer a FREE cloud storage solution?
For businesses a free solution isn’t the answer but if you want to store a few personal files then you will be pleased to know that many providers offer either a limited amount of free storage space or a free trial for a certain period of time either 14 or 30 days at which point your plan defaults to the basic paid for package. Be careful when choosing a plan that is free for a certain amount of storage, though – you could find that you run out of space quite quickly especially if you are storing a lot of videos. At this point, no further pictures or files will get backed up. For businesses with larger requirements, there are several plans to choose from with many providers so it is worth taking the time to research what is available and which plan best suits your needs.
Use the free trial periods to your advantage.
You may want to sign up to more than one cloud storage provider for a free trial so that you can get used to the sites and see which one you find easier to navigate. With those sites that offer 14 or 30 day free trials, it is good to take advantage and see which one you prefer to work with. Please don’t forget to cancel after the trial ends, though.
What security encryption do they use?
Most good storage solution providers offer an SSL AES-256 bit data encryption which is the same security level offered by the military and the banking sector. Make sure that the provider that you choose offers this level of security and that their backup systems have backups. By having multi-layered backup solutions if there was ever a technical issue they won’t lose your data. Be warned, though – should you not access your account for a long period of time there is a chance, especially with a free plan, that your data will be deleted.
What support do they offer?
The level of support you will require will largely depend on whether you are using the storage solution for business or pleasure. If you are running a business you may find you need greater support than those who are just backing up a few personal pictures. Make sure that the support teams are accessible by telephone, e-mail and live chat if possible. The more routes of access to a human being the better.
Read reviews and conduct research
Carry out research before deciding on the provider for you. If you are choosing your online storage solution for personal use you may want to consider a different provider than you would choose for business use. There are plenty of reviews available on our website which will help you to assess what the various providers have to offer. Make a wish list of what you are looking for and then make the decision based on the best solutions to your requirements. If you are unsure about committing to a full 12 months have a look at whether there is a monthly trial available so that you can try before you buy.
