Cloud

Services in the cloud no longer part of the future long ago. Today, almost without realizing we use daily in one form or another computing services over the Internet. Services that currently monopolize virtually all types of utilities with the user, who must not know the most extensive knowledge to handle the management of its resources.

Virtual hard disks gradually replacing our old physical world from which we can store our data, documents or files, we can make them back up, transfer them to other users or return to them when we need it. Not only that, the collection of users increases partly due to cost reductions resulting from their use. Therefore, it is a good time to make a comparison of those services most used by users. Let’s see how each stand out:

Dropbox

Undoubtedly, one of the top of the list, at least in popularity as home to more than 25 million users and has presence in 175 countries. Dropbox is a service platform that will surely owes its success to the simplicity of the program itself. With the service may store and sync files online and between computers or share files and folders with other users.

As I say, in its simplicity is the key to success. Through the client installed the user can easily move up the files to the folders created and the same customer will take care of sync. Files in the Dropbox folder may be shared by other users of the suite or you can access them from the website of the program.

Dropbox allows free and paid accounts based on usage of each user. The basic free account, or have up to 2 GB of storage. The Pro50 (payment) allows up to 50 GB. Finally, the PRO100 (payment) allows up to 100 GB. The client is cross platform and is available for Mac, Windows and Linux plus applications available on Android, IOS and Blackberry.

SOS Online Backup

His name gives us enough clues of what we offer. Based in California, the service is a perfect tool for online backup that allows users to host their files in the cloud.

SOS Online Backup has several versions aimed at consumers / users, SMEs and companies. It is multiplatform but mainly works on Windows OS. There are also client versions for iPhone, iPhone and Blackberry.

In the case of the company which is a internet security company, its strong point is undoubtedly the very security of the system. And precisely because of this, SOS does not have any free option. There are fees ranging from $ 9.95 a month for 50GB of space to the $ 80 for an entire year.

iDrive

Another similar service with SOS to save or store the contents of our wallets on the web. The basic features we can expect from such a service (file sharing, creating multiple accounts, recovery of modified files ..) iDrive has two qualities or pros.

First lets set the task of saving a day and time. In addition, the service also allows incremental backups to maximize space that is available and apply passwords to folders that fit for safety. The program has a 128-bit encryption.

Finally we discuss the possibility of opening up to 5GB free account, possibility that can be multiplied up to 15GB if we can invite other users. The program is multi-platform and how much with IOS and free applications for Android.

Google

In this case what Google offers us today a little different with the other services. To start the suite itself has a unique setting to host or host file. Unlike the rest, where the ecosystem is integrated into the service, Google, the user must go to Picasa photo themes, Gmail for email, to the current beta of its music platform for music or Google Docs for documents.

All of these Google services you use daily usually allow at least 1GB of free space. The user who needs more space must be paid by figures ranging from $ 5 for 20 GB in most of its services to the $ 4000 for 16 TB for a year.

Amazon

The Amazon service has passed since the launch of Web Service in 2002 through several changes, always tried to adapt to developments in the sector. Amazon now divided into two sectors, the niche of users.

On the one hand we have Amazon Cloud Drive where we find the typical characteristics of a storage service in the cloud. The company gives us the possibility of 5 GB free, thereafter each annual GB pays $ 1.

On the other hand we have Amazon Cloud Player as its name indicates is aimed at music. Currently the service is restricted to U.S., although growth is expected to come soon. From Cloud Player user can buy music, download, reproduce or store your music library in the cloud. Prices are identical to Cloud Drive, ie free account with access to up to 5GB and thereafter one dollar per GB per year.

These are my five proposals but there are coming more and others that promise much. From Box , a single platform to share or upload files very focused on business until the next icloud Apple’s Cupertino that will jump on the bandwagon of the cloud. The final decision lies with each user and the specific characteristics you seek. In any case, these five proposals can be a good start for anyone who want to try this type of service.

Bitcasa just been presented to society. This is a new online storage service that breaks the rules they have imposed other competitors and gives us the ability to store all types of content indefinitely.

Although undoubtedly the most eye care Bitcasa is that has a virtually unlimited storage, but that works as hard. In a totally innovative and without realizing it, Bitcasa is concerned not automatically synchronize all of our files, but to work directly in the cloud, which becomes the site where we store our content, so you can say that the cloud is your hard drive.

This is a direct attack on other services like DropBox or very SkyDrive from Microsoft that seems to lately is taking another approach.

The advantages are clear, although of course we always have the timeless questions about what happens to our archives. What if the service goes down? If we depend on Bitcasa-or any similar service, to store our important content we find that we can not access them. What about my privacy? Here we are in them. The files are on an external server to us, although the terms of service say otherwise, no one can guarantee that our content will not be exposed to third parties.

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But in theory this is not so. Bitcasa servers dedicated just to store information, information that is written bit by bit through the service and that is stored in encrypted form. Even the name of the file is encrypted, and boast themselves to be 100% reliable in the face of possible investigations by the authorities:

Even if the RIAA and MPAA come knocking at our door with warrants in hand, all you could offer would Bitcasa a collection of coded bits is impossible to decipher.

The price of service will be only $ 10 a month, although so far has been in operation for free for those lucky enough to enter their beta program, something that one can ask for invitation to the home page of the service.

Either way, the truth is that these services is growing at an impressive pace and seems to pass for one of the great strengths of the Internet and not only in the future, but to this day.