Should You Buy an Online Storage Subscription?
This generation has been elevating the way of life. From the old days when USB devices can only contain a few MBs to those extents when they began to hold a gigabyte worth of data until the external hard drives came into the picture which allows hundreds and thousands of gigabytes of data.
I remember back in college, we were advised to buy a USB stick and what I can afford was only the 1GB which cost more or less a thousand pesos. One thousand pesos is a big amount of money way back in 2006 and I had to purchase it because that's what was required! Now, 1GB of USB costs less than a hundred pesos!
But it didn't stop there because online storage joins the pack. Online servers had been evolving and popping out to provide their services.
Currently, there are hundreds of services online which provide data storage. But what does online or cloud storage really means?
Cloud Storage is a service where data is remotely maintained, managed, and backed up. The service allows users to store files online so that they can access them from any location via the Internet.
Information: bigdata-madesimple.com
Here is also the top best online storage. They would definitely ring a bell because they are famous in the online realm due to the fact that they provide free storage too in case one can't afford to buy a subscription.
According to moneysavingexpert, these are the top storage sites with free storage:
Google Drive: 15GB free.
Box: 10GB free.
OneDrive: 5GB free (1TB for students)
iCloud: 5GB free.
Dropbox: 2GB free, plus up to 16GB extra.
Amazon Drive: 5GB + unlimited photos with Prime.
BT Cloud: 5GB-500GB 'free' for BT b'band custs.
I believe you are familiar with the list, these are just some of the best but there will be more newborn services soon offering the same nature. Some of those on the list might even die by the next years and new ones will arise.
For me, having online storage means two things:
1. Data Access Anywhere
Given that you have internet access, your precious data can be accessed anywhere, anytime, just ensure that the login credentials are secured and they are easy to remember, if not just make sure you won't lose them.
I personally have different online storage and the challenging part is to keep up with the passwords I use for each especially since I have memory issues. At first, I thought I should use the same password for all these online sites but I soon realize that would be a bad idea because the tendency of getting hacked is high.
Going back, having access to online storage means having the ability to get your file in those needy times when tangible storage is unavailable. Moreover, with the use of mobile devices, accessing data is much more efficient, better, and easier too.
2. Additional Data Storage Backup
More importantly, with an online storehouse, you are given supplementary backup data storage. That additional backup means a lot!
This doesn't mean you will be putting all other things into the online storage, no, that shouldn't be the case, instead, it is an opportunity to be able to keep important items in the cloud just so they are available to you in cases where the original backup fails.
For professional usage, most back up their data up to three or more copies to endure that they won't be missing anything. They would even be willing to store to a variety of storages, some may copy them to a physical hard drive, an external one, and an online one, just to be assured.
Should You Buy an Online Storage Subscription?
Having online storage is pretty beneficial as it has usability and accessibility advantages, however, it also has its own drawbacks which include hacking risk and internet-dependable.
But its Pros are favorable compared to its disadvantages in my own opinion, nonetheless, the real question is if you are willing to pay extra cash to acquire most of its functionalities.
Now the real question is if it is wise to stay as a free user rather than buy a subscription. Let's weigh the advantages and the disadvantages, and let's point out what are the consequences and the pros when we decide to just stay as a free one.
1. If you are using it for personal use, just take the free one.
So if you are only using this online storage for your own individual usage, do not worry about buying a subscription at all. As a matter of fact, no one would dare to shell out extra cash just so they could get an additional Giga or terabytes of an online storehouse. Plus buying one isn't just one-time payment! It includes a subscription basis which means, you'll have to pay every month or in some cases annually to get that drive available for you.
Though, if you are willing to cash out because you feel that having online storage is good for you, then you go for it! It is still best to take the most out of these services.
2. For business and professional usage, buy a subscription.
Now, the real deal comes when you talk about using this online storage for business use.
Having them for businesses such as for your online jobs, your photography business and etc is a nice deal to pay because aside from getting larger storage, it opens up other functionalities such as better security, some have the option to keep your deleted files available for a few months before it gets really removed off from the server. This is to properly guarantee that you won't be losing any data at all. That is one of the best things about keeping a backup online.
What are your thoughts? Are you with me in this or do you think it is still best to keep your files on your computer? Or do you think it is wise enough to have an online backup too? Let me know through your comments below.
After all, the call is for the user himself, based on your needs, you may buy or stay using the free service. It's all up to you!
Check out my previous articles too:
xoxo,
momentswithmatti
Mother | Boholana | Cebu | Philippines | Travel | Photography Enthusiast | Calligraphy | Art | Crypto Noob
I used to have Dropbox subscription i paid $10 or $11 per month. so nag stop ko