Symptom
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, right? Then why do I wake up with chills wondering whether I’m going to lose some really valuable files or worse still, that I have already lost some critical files to a dysfunctional hard drive or a chaotic desktop.
Recommended Medications
Ivan: This is a typical case of “file storage upsetus.”and to be honest, this is a condition that I have suffered from as well. As a knowledge worker, I create hundreds of files each week and keeping track of them all, never mind ensuring they are properly backed up, is a major challenge. What if suddenly I couldn’t get access to my Gmail or Google Docs? That’s a decade of work lost!
Cyri: Truth be told, I used to be a card-carrying member of File Chaos Anonymous. I have tried many times to kick the habit of just saving everything to my Desktop. After a lot of therapy, I can now say with confidence that I can sleep at night knowing my files are safe. My websites are being properly backed up, my family photos are in multiple locations and I can actually find my files thanks to some powerful file storage and sharing medicine: Box.net, DropBox, Google Cloud and Microsoft’s Skydrive.
Ivan: Good to see you finally took your medicine – I was all set to launch an intervention. Friends don’t let friends lose files. My personal journey started with Box.net, one of the pioneering services and then I moved on to DropBox for its synchronization features.
Cyri: I’m more of a Googleholic and use their Google Cloud service, although I must say I’m really impressed with Microsoft’s SkyDrive service. You get 25 Gigabytes of free storage space. Right now, it’s the Viagra of file storage but no doubt new services will keep the file storage just keep going up and up.
Ivan: With Internet Explorer 9, you can even pin SkyDrive to your Windows 7 taskbar. It’s just a single click away from saving, and sharing documents. But deep down I’m also addicted to Google. You just get 2 Gigabytes of free storage space, but extra storage is cheap medicine… only $5 per year for 20 Gigabytes and you can even get a Terabyte of storage for $256 per year if you have a really big file storage habit!
Cyri: Here’s a medication chart:
|
Medication |
Rx |
Cost |
|
Box.net |
Started back in 2005, Box.net really helped get personal file storage in the cloud going. You can access, manage, share, and view all your files on the Web and you can send and track large files with colleagues. They have branched out to offer project management, and online workspace services. |
Free for 5 Gigabytes, $15 per user per month for 500 Gigabytes |
|
DropBox |
DropBox is known mainly for its syncing features. Files saved on one computer, can be accessed from any of your other computers or phones. Just save your important files to your DropBox folder, and you know they will be there when you access from your other computers or devices. No more running back and forth between computers with USBs! |
Free for 2 Gigabytes, $9.99 per month for 50 Gigabytes, and $19.99 per month for 100 Gigabytes |
|
Microsoft Live Drive & SkyDrive |
Live Mesh is Microsoft’s solution for syncing files and SkyDrive for file storage and collaboration. |
25 Gigabytes free for sharing MS Office docs & photos |
|
Google Cloud & Google Docs |
With the release of its cloud-based Chrome operating system, Google’s cloud storage and collaboration series are innovative and impressive! |
Free for first 2 Gigabytes, $5 per year for 5 Gigabytes, $20 per year for 80 Gigabytes |
|
Google Cloud Connect
|
This tool lets you share, backup and simultaneously edit MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel documents. When you save a file, a Web link is created for the files that you can share with colleagues. Works with mobile devices too. No more need to email files back and forth and track the latest versions! |
Free! |
|
Google Take Out |
This one is really useful for Googleholics! It enables you to download all Google data including contacts, profile info and photos from Picasa into one zipped file. Google plans to eventually include its other services like Documents, Gmail and Groups. |
Free! |
Ivan: If you add all the free medication together, that’s a whopping 34 Gigabytes! You can be safe, secure without denting your wallet. Not having to worry about file storage is truly priceless!
Prognosis
Cyri: One important consideration, make sure you know where your medicine is stored, especially if it’s customer data that you have to protect under provincial or federal privacy legislation. You don’t want your medicine getting in the wrong hands. You also want to make sure you have the right to delete your data and account at any time – the data is yours even if Dr. Zuckerberg thinks otherwise!
Future Management of This Condition
Cyri: You are going to see a lot more cloud file storage and collaboration services but it’s best not to keep switching your medication. Talk to your IT Department’s PC Doctor about which one or two file storage medications are best for you – they may already be supporting some of the tools.
Generic Name & Alternative Medicine
Ivan: The generic name is “cloud storage” or just “file storage” but that sounds so 1980s. Cool alternatives include: Syncplicity, Egnyte, Amazon’s S3, and the new kid on the block, Apple’s iCloud.
Precautions / Warnings
Cyri: Since DropBox syncs your files, I find it works best for critical files that don’t take up too much space. I tried it with the family photos once and then the hard drive of every laptop or desktop I used was suddenly filled up to the brim. Also, Dropbox has had some security meltdowns – if you have something really confidential, it’s best to encrypt it!
Cyri & Ivan’s Medication Rating:
You can see the links to the tools mentioned in this article at bizpharmacy.com.
Cyri Jones teaches entrepreneurship, project management and IT at BCIT and Capilano University and is the founder of ZedPress.com, a social network for learning. He blogs at 24posts.com. Ivan Surjanovic is in Capilano University’s Marketing Faculty and CEO of iPower Lab. He blogs about new business and technology trends at whereispuck.com. All Cyri and Ivan’s previous columns published in Business in Vancouver can also be found on bizpharmacy.com.
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