Cloud Storage for Your Business

For all small businesses today, there is a big value in being able to work from anywhere at any time, and being able to access your files anywhere is important in making that happen.  It’s one of the biggest reasons why we talk about cloud accounting software, or accepting mobile payments.  The truth is that more and more businesses are moving to the cloud, or leveraging the cloud to work anywhere.

If you’re looking for options to work on the go, here are some cloud storage options to consider for your business.  These services let you access your files anywhere, from any device.

Dropbox

Dropbox is one of the most popular file sharing services around, and for good reason. I use Dropbox countless time every single day to store files for my businesses and projects.

Dropbox makes it super easy to share and collaborate. All you have to do is install a program on your computer and log in. Drag and drop files in and out just like any folder on your computer and they are automatically synced across all of your devices.

If you want to share files, you can add shared folders between users, share an account for all members of your team, or send a link to a shared file so someone else can download it.

Dropbox is free starting at 2GB of storage (you get an extra 500MB for people who sign up through your link up to 18GB). Pro plans start at $9.99 per month or $99 per year at 100GB and can go up to 500GB. An enhanced business version starts at $795 per year with unlimited storage.

Google Drive

Google Drive was a bit late to the game and offers a similar product to Dropbox, though it also includes the files in what was formerly known as Google Docs.

Anyone with a Google account gets 5GB free of Drive and Photo storage. Plans for 25GB+ start at $2.49 per month.

Box

Box was the first major cloud storage service that I knew of, but its popularity has not kept up with the likes of Dropbox and Google Drive.

Box is geared toward techies, but it works easily for anyone. Personal users get 5GB free and can pay for up to 50GB. Business accounts are available at $15 per user per month and offer up to 1TB of storage.

Amazon Cloud Drive

Amazon Cloud Drive works just like the others and starts at 5GB for free plus 250 songs from Amazon MP3. Premium plans start at 20GB for $10 per year and go up to 1TB for $500 per year.

Amazon’s product is cheaper than some competitors starting at less than $1 per month for 20GB.

Honorable Mention – Evernote

Evernote is not intended to be a file storage and sharing platform, but it has that function built in.

Evernote Premium costs $5 per month or $45 per year and allows file attachments up to 100MB and can be shared between multiple users. Like the others, your notes sync between all devices automatically.

Backup Locally Too!

Cloud storage is great, and generally secure and backed up, but don’t forget to backup your most important files with an on-site network storage drive or server.

For my most important files, I keep copies in both Dropbox, on my laptop, and on my network drive. I don’t want to risk losing my most important files and happily pay to keep them safe.

Do you use cloud storage for your business?  What service do you use to keep your files safe?