Previously, the selection of cloud storages was zada - users had to trust the SkyDrive or Dropbox data. However, since 2013, new cloud services began to appear one by one. What is the "cloud" is the best at the moment?
Important data can be stored on external media - hard drives, USB flash drives, even on floppy disks. However, the safety of information in this case will be constantly under threat, because the physical object is easy to lose. If the USB card is confidential information about the activities of the organization, the flash drive can steal competitors - which will cause a company of gigantic damage.
For these reasons, USB carriers go to the past - both in their time discs and floppy disks. The cloud data warehouses come to change, allowing you to access files at any time and from any computer. In this article we will give the cloud storage rating and tell about the advantages and weaknesses of various services.
What is a cloud storage?
Cloud storage is an online storage, within which user data is distributed over numerous servers. The structure and location of the servers, the user does not know; From his point of view"Cloud" is a large virtual flash card, information on which is protected password.
Use cloud storage is simple enough: a person needs to be registered on one of the sites offering storage services, remember Login / password, then unload valuable information "On the Internet". When the information turn out to be necessary, it comes to the same site from any PC or mobile gadget, authorizes and receives access to information.
In the "cloud" services there are weights of advantages compared with other storage methods:
- The user does not risk losing information irretrievably in case of failure of a computer or gadget.
- Information from "Clouds" is conveniently divided - you can send links to individual files by mail or social networks.
- The user has to pay only for large memory. If his needs are small, he has the right to limit free to free quota, which is provided by almost all the storage facilities.
- The user can configure sharing files and, as a result, to organize collaboration with data in online mode.
When it comes to lack of cloud storage facilities, users first express doubts that such services are capable of guaranteeing the confidentiality of information entrusted to them. As an example, a well-known incident resulting from Dropbox in 2011 - when, after the update, anyone could go to any account using a random password. Of course, to vouch for the reliability of all cloud storages, it is impossible - that is why it is so important to approach the choice of service for storing information carefully and scrupulously.
Top cloud storages: What service to choose?
The following services are among the best cloud storages:
Google Drive
- Free location : 15 GB.
- The maximum size of one file : 5 TB.
- The maximum volume of space : 30 TB.
- Compatibility with Mobile OS : Supported on Android above 4.4 and iOS above 8.0.
The service is young enough - its launch took place only in 2012. However, despite this Google Drive (he Google disk ) has already managed to achieve well-deserved world popularity and laurels of one of the most convenient cloud storage.
Convenience Google Drive lies in the fact that it is "cloud" integrated with all other services from Google - which is a huge amount. The user, for example, can only send a letter to the repository to the repository, enabled on the mailbox Gmail, save the photo unloaded in the Cloud, in Appendix Google Photo. In addition, Google Drive allows the user to open and edit documents Google Docs.
A curious feature can boast the Google application for Android - it is capable to scan documents. It is enough to press the "SCAN" button and make a photo of the document - the PDF file will be in the "My Disk" section.
in favor of Google Drive say a large number of supported file formats (over 30), the ability to configure offline access to documents, support for SSL protocol, which guarantees Safety of stored information. An active users of Google's ecosystem services do not even need to think about finding another cloud storage - Google Drive will satisfy them 100%!
Premium subscription cost:
|
100 GB |
1 TB |
10 TB |
20 TB |
30 TB |
|
139 rubles. / month |
699 rub. / month |
6 990 rub. / month |
13 990 rubles. / month |
20 990 rub. / month |
Yandex. Disk
- Free location : 3 GB with the ability Expansion to 10 GB.
- The maximum size of one file : 10 GB (when using the program) / 2 GB (when booting through the browser).
- Maximum volume of space : 1 TB.
- Compatibility with Mobile OS : Supported on Android above 4.0.3, iOS above 8.0, Windows Phone 7/8 and Symbian 9.3.
From the point of view of disk space restrictions, Russian service Yandex. Disk looks completely uncompetitive in comparison with the cloud storage Google Drive. In particular, instead of 15 "free" gigabytes, only 3 gigabytes are provided to the user. Another 7 GB can be obtained for participating in the referral program, but not every user wants to throw their friends spam. The maximum amount of disk space for one account is also small - only 1 TB (y Google 30 TB). Nevertheless, it is Yandex. Disk is considered among domestic users the most popular "cloud". For what reasons?
y Yandex. Diska Other advantages than the service from Google, and for the Russians they are important. In the "cloud" from Yandex, for example, it is possible to unload photos and video from social networks" VKontakte" and " classmates" directly, without Applications of additional software. Cloud storage is integrated with all kinds of services from Yandex, can be integrated with the office suite Microsoft Office 2013, as well as connect to TVs equipped with the SmartTV function.
In addition, Yandex. Disk has the right to boast of its cross-platform - there are web clients and mobile applications not only for iOS, Android, Windows, but also under Linux and Symbian.
At the same time, Google specialists are only working on the Linux version of their cloud storage, and apparently they are not releasing applications for Windows Phone and Symbian at all do not intend. Among domestic users of mobile technology, there are a lot of fans of the company Nokia and its smartphones running exactly on the two operating systems named earlier - mobile Google Drive is not available to these users.
As a result, we can say that the popularity of Yandex. Disk in Russia is due not only to the desire of users to support the domestic brand, but also to the presence of quite tangible advantages over overseas services.
Premium subscription cost:
|
10 GB |
100 GB |
1 TB |
|
300 rub. / year |
800 rub. / year |
2000 rub. / year |
One Drive
- Free space : 5 GB.
- Maximum size of a single file : 10 GB.
- Maximum amount of space : 5 TB.
- Mobile OS Compatibility : Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 9.0, Windows Phone 7 / 8, Symbian Belle and MeeGo 1.2.
Among the cloud storage OneDrive from Microsoft is a real "dinosaur". This service has been operating since 2007, but until 2014, users were familiar with it under the name SkyDrive. The renaming was due to a lawsuit with the television company BSkyB, which accused Microsoft of plagiarism.
Unfortunately, lately, the cloud OneDrive has become more and more rapidly losing ground and yielding to similar services from Google and other developers. The fact that in 2016 Microsoft reduced the amount of free space in its cloud storage from 15 GB to 5 GB obviously did not add OneDrive to popularity. The "cloud" Microsoft does not have any outstanding advantages over analogues - the main advantages of this service are integration with the package Office 365 and the ability to organize simultaneous work on documents online. Alas, other services also give access to documents, but in addition they offer a lot of other "goodies".
It is advisable to continue storing information in OneDrive only for those users who applied to the services of this service before the 2016 reforms. Old account holders still have access to 15 free gigabytes.
Premium subscription cost:
|
50 GB |
1 TB (single user) |
5 TB (for 5 users) |
|
72 rub. / month |
269 rub. / month |
339 rub. / month |
Mega
- Free space : 50 GB.
- Maximum size of a single file : unlimited (when downloading from a browser - 2 GB).
- Maximum amount of space : 4 TB.
- Mobile OS Compatibility : Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 7.0, Windows Phone 7 / 8, BlackBerry 10.
Just think - 50 free gigabytes! Whereas competitors offer only 10-15 GB! About the cloud storage Mega - the brainchild of the New Zealand company of the same name - I want to tell so much that it would be enough for several articles.
"Cloud" Mega is remarkable not only for the large amount of free space. Safety has always been considered its main advantage. Actually, the creation of Mega the developer of Kima Dotcoma was pushed by the scandalous exposures of Edward Snowden, who said that the confidentiality of information to American citizens only falls. Mega uses through encryption : The data is encrypted in the browser - as a result, the program Mega does not know what information the user loaded to the disk.
However, by Kim Dotcom and undermined confidence in his brainchild, stating in 2015 that personal information threatens danger and users should urgently make backup copies.
According to the Creator of the Service, the company has experienced a significant pressure by the US government, and this pressure was expressed mainly in the refusal of cooperation with MEGA All payment systems, including PayPal. In fact, the start-up was doomed to exist without cash receipts. In the end, Kim Dotcom declared the unfriendly seizure of the company by Chinese investors and left - according to his own words, to develop a competitor's program for Mega.
The history of C MEGA resembles a conspirastic thriller. Each user must decide for himself, whether to trust the personal data of the company with such an ambiguous reputation. It is worth noting that besides the dotcoma itself for the safety of information in MEGA, no one has complained.
Premium subscription cost:
|
200 GB |
500 GB |
2 TB |
4 TB |
|
4.99 euro / month |
9.99 EUR / month |
19.99 euro / month |
29.99 euro / month |
Cloud Mail.ru
- Free location : 25 GB.
- The maximum size of one file : 2 GB (when buying a place - 32 GB).
- The maximum volume of space : 4 TB.
- Compatibility with Mobile OS : Supported on Android above 4.0, iOS above 7.0, Windows Phone is higher than 8th version.
Service "Cloud Mail. Ru", appearing in 2013, immediately pleased users with an attraction of unprecedented generosity - each was provided by 100 free gigabytes. Later, the amount of free space was reduced to 16 GB, then increased to 25 GB - this limit is relevant so far.
The advantages of " cloud Mail. Ru" includes not only a large volume of free space. The service is able to boast a high download speed and unloading for domestic users, as well as cross-platform - " cloud Mail. Ru", for example, available to advanced users, on computers "worth" Linux.
It is worth mentioning about the shortcomings of the service. According to user reviews, " cloud Mail. Ru" is strongly "buggy" and often flies at startup on old versions of Windows.
Also, users complain that Mail. Ru Group In the appendage to its cloud storage, it produces a hidden installation of various tools and agents - however it is already familiar story.
Cost of premium subscription:
|
64 GB |
128 GB |
256 GB |
512 GB |
1 TB |
2 TB |
4 TB |
|
690 rubles. / year |
1 490 rub. / year |
2 290 rub. / year |
3 790 rub. / year |
6 990 rub. / year |
13 900 rub. / year |
27 900 rubles. / year |
Conclusion
Selection of users who are not afraid that their data will decleve foreign special services, obvious - Google Drive is the most convenient cloud storage, Giving an impressive amount of free space for free. Users who wish to support the domestic producer should pay attention to Yandex. Disk and Cloud Mail.ru. Both services, however, have very significant disadvantages: the cloud from Yandex provides little disk space, and the product from Mail is still quite "raw".
I would like to note that there is no Dropbox in the rating - one of the villains of cloud technologies. The disadvantage Dropbox is that it offers only 2 GB of free space - trifle for current times. In addition, the cloud service does not show flexibility in buying additional space; Individuals are offered only 1 tariff. Otherwise, as disrespect for users, it is difficult to regard it.
