Discussions

i havent had time and never really tought about it. i back up onto DVD's and my hard drive is big so i dont need extra space, but online storage would be so much easier if you just selected a file to upload and then whenever you need it just download it.

I am not using online storage because the confidenciality program isn't that great. Other than that, i must always have a not too old computer to be able to connect to the website in order to do what ever i need. This isn't a problem for me but, for those who aren't computers freaks, it's annoying. An other problem is that we have to pay for those services (which is normal from my point of view).

I don't use online storage much. It works best for small files; but if the files are small, then they can be stored locally.

Therefore, I use online storage mainly for files that I need to share with others, or when I want multiple copies for backup. In either case, the files have to be small enough.

Likewise, my server at home is a sort of online storage.

I have so many reasons not to use other providers' online storage:

1) Cost. Without an assurance that an online provider can store my stuff more securely than I can, the cost is the main consideration, and local storage wins.

2) Convenience. Online storage needs to have equivalent access to local storage for there to be a hope of use. But everybody with filesystem integration charges so much.

3) Speed. Mac, Windows, Linux, they all get grouchy when you connect an online storage system to the filesystem, and then there's significant latency. The worst is Apple's Finder. While I would argue that those programs and their underlying APIs need to be updated to improve responsiveness, I also think AT&T should be spanked for not building faster Internet connections with all that money we paid them.

4) Security. I have files that I don't want the provider to be able to read. As far as I can tell from the literature, the only way I can ensure that is by encrypting it before sending it to them, and that's a hassle. I can't trust their software, other than in thwarting eavesdroppers, and I certainly can't trust them not to give all my stuff to government officials or their impersonators. Or leak it like a big TJX. Or lose it anyway like Microsoft/Danger.

5) Size. A lot of the files I want to store are really large. I can't afford to store them in an online storage system. Even if I could, the Internet connections make access for those files difficult; while my cable at home has an upload about 3 Mb, most of the places I go have downloads well below that, so if I can't feasibly transfer stuff straight from home, then another storage provider can't help.

I love online storage. Personally, I prefer E-sata drives for their high speed transfer rate and autonomaticity as compared to online storage.

The downside to this is price and clutter. Online storage is great in this way. I have 500gb for just $5 a month, and I can have it automaically back up via Apple's Time Machine or the EMC software.

A good mix of online and on-site storage is always good.

Online storage I highly recommend to others if they're going to backup any of their files such as pictures, music, videos, projects their working on, etc: etc: cause if something happens to your computer, like you break it, it gets stolen, you accidentally deleted them, or whatever. You'll always have a way tog et them back.

Now an external hard drive, is a good idea, but their expensive, and something could happen to that as well.

Flash drives are pretty good to, you can run a complete operating system on it, along with the external hard drive, but it's bit small, easy to misplace, and something could happen to that as well.

Blank CD's again small easy to misplace, and like before something could happen to this as well.

So external hard drives are expensive, and you've gotta pay for along with flash drives and black cds, but online storage sites like Windows SkyDrive are free. SO you won't haft to spend a penny, and will always have your files when you needs them, just need Internet access of cource.

I do use online photo albums to share pictures with my friends. Apart from that I have used two to three different services to share large files - mainly large documents and videos - with others.

I use online storage some for photo sharing. For my backup data files, there's no way I'd want to use online storage for that. Seems too easy for the data to get compromised.

I currently use it a bit, I would use it way more if I could get hold of it for a cheap price, the only thing preventing me from using more, is that it is pretty expensive.

Collaboration among my friends, as well as storage of files for classes. Makes it so I don't have to break out the USB every hour.

Online storage is handy but for me I just buy more hard drives.