The market for cloud storage
services is wide and fierce, but what do competing firms lack?Read
more to find out!
Posted in auto back up, auto backup, back up, cloud, cloud storage, data backup, file sharing, file storage, file syncing, free cloud storage, hubiC, instant upload, online file storage, OVH
Secure file transfers with pCloud Transfer
We all have that moment,
when we have to send that really important file to someone and hope
that it can be only seen by them. Truth is that if you don't take
measures to properly secure your files yourself, there is a high
possibility that someone totally unrelated to them will see them
sooner or later. We're talking about the Internet after all! That is
why, I've dedicated this post to tell you more about how you can
securely transfer your most sensitive data.
Posted in encrypted files, encryption, file encryption, file security, file transfer, pCloud, pCloud transfer, secure file transfer, transfer security
The Carbonite Sync & Share App
Backup
your data and sync your files via Carbonite? Why not? The highly
proven file
storage
service now comes with a range of dedicated synchronization and file
sharing
services. In this article we will particularly analyze the Carbonite
Sync & Share application, which is now available for any desktop
computer, laptop or mobile (iOS or Android). Actually, the Carbonite
service has been receiving a lot of positive feedback, so we decided
to take a look as well.
The
Carbonite platform, in general, is dedicated to two basic features –
backup and restore. It simply provides you with the opportunity to
restore your accidentally deleted or lost files and folders, once
they have been backed up to the cloud. When using Carbonite, as with
any other cloud
storage
service, your data is always safe in the cloud. It gets encrypted at
the very moment it leaves your device.
Carbonite
does not provide a free version, but you can test the service using
its 30-day trial version. In this article we will not examine the
service as a whole. We will only focus to its Sync and Share
functionality. But before that, it is worth mentioning that on the
web platform users can easily view their backup and synchronization
processes via the online dashboard.
What
we don't like about the service is that its file upload
speeds are not particularly high, and if you have a lot of files to
backup, the process may take too much time.
What
we need to say about the Sync & Share application is that you
simply cannot go without it if file versioning is important to you
and your business.
To
install the application, go to the Carbonite website and download it.
For mobile it is available in Apple Store and Google Play. Once
installed, by default it creates a list of your recent files (the
ones you created for the last 30 days) and automatically backs them
up to the cloud. Of course, you can manually specify the files and
folders that this list shall contain. All the changes you make to
your files on your multiple devices will be automatically
synchronized across all of them.
Users
can keep their collaborators and friends up-to-date with the Sync &
Share functionality. They can securely share their files via the
application. Simply choose a document from the list and click the
Share option, and you are good to go.
Once
you do that, add your collaborators' email addresses in the field,
and they will get an email, inviting them to your files.
Posted in Carbonite, cloud, cloud storage, file sharing, file storage, Sync & Share
Bitcasa and its Infinite Drive
Cloud platforms – such a great abundance of services, each with a different twist. The Bitcasa data backup and storage service is particularly interesting in this respect. Unlike others, it does not simply create a folder on your computer system, but it establishes an external drive for your multiple files and folders. The only difference from your internal drives is that the Bitcasa virtual drive does not take space on your computer. Shortly, this is your external hard drive in the cloud. This file storage system allows you to drag and drop files and folders just like any external hard drive. The documents you've placed on this virtual drive won't take space on your computer and will be accessible from any other devices you use. This happens when you install the Bitcasa desktop application on your computer. The installation is very easy to perform and takes just a minute, and it's totally worth it. The Bitcasa virtual drive effortlessly backups and mirrors your files and you can access them from all of your computers and mobile devices, anytime.
When installed, the Bitcasa application appears as an icon in your Tray Bar, and also, as an external drive on your system. This way you can easily reach it and use it.
On the other hand, the web service allows you to listen to your music, watch videos, view photos and documents. The platform also gives you the opportunity to share files and folders instantly with other users. One way of doing it is by right-clicking on a file, located in your Bitcasa virtual drive. The Send this to a friend option appears. When you click on it you can easily generate a link to share with other users. Alternatively, you can select the Send option on the website after you have marked the file(s) you plan to send. A link is automatically generated and you can send it via email or share it on Facebook, Twitter or an instant messenger.
The Bitcasa platform provides secure cloud storage by encrypting your files before they are even uploaded. This way you can safely backup all your digital data and access it via Windows, Mac and Linux, as well as any mobile device. You can access your files even offline.
Unlike other similar file sharing services, Bitcasa allows you to view or stream any type of file without additional software required.
Shortly, what is most specific about Bitcasa is that it helps you save valuable space on your non-virtual drives. The Bitcasa platform provides effortless auto-backup. All you need to do is simply right-click on a file or folder on your computer and select Mirror to perform an automatic backup to Bitcasa.
The cloud storage system automatically backups your files even on mobile. You just need to download and install the Bitcasa application for iPad, iPhone or Android.
On sign up Bitcasa offers up to 20 GB storage space (which includes some referral steps that you need to perform in order to get all of the aforementioned space), but if this is not sufficient for your needs, you can always upgrade to a paid plan. And we need to say, the prices Bitcasa offers are very reasonable.
Free – Up to 20 GB storage space
Premium – 1 TB storage space – 10$/month – Up to 5 devices
Pro – 5 TB storage space – 49$/month – Up to 5 devices
Infinite – Unlimited storage space – 99$/month – Up to 5 devices
Posted in auto backup, Bitcasa, cloud, cloud storage, data backup, file sharing, infinite drive, virtual drive
Send Your Files via Various Cloud Services
Mega is an online cloud storage service, which provides basic options, such as uploading files and folders from your computer, backing up and synchronizing your documents.
Once you have uploaded a file, you can right-click on it and make use of the additional features the online file storage platform provides.
When you need to share a file or folder, Mega allows you to share your data with other users who are registered to the Mega website. If you plan to share your documents with people who are not registered users, enter their email addresses and they will be invited to the Mega service. Upon sharing, you can set authorization rights to the users – whether you will provide them with read only or full access to the files and folders you share. Since the files you upload to the platform become encrypted in the process of uploading, the users you provide with a link to your files will hardly be able to do anything it, without being provided with your password. To solve this issue you need to include a decryption code that is shared along with the URL to the file. Using this, the other user can freely download and use the files they are provided access to.
The JustCloud online storage system does not provide a free version, but its paid service is fully compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, and also offers mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry. With JustCloud you can share files with friends and colleagues, and invite them by email, Facebook, Twitter or provide them with a custom link to your digital belongings.
The first thing you need to do in order to benefit from the file sharing capabilities is to upload your files to the web platform. In order to do that you can click the Upload button at the top right section of the website. Unfortunately, you can only upload your files one by one. This way, if you have multiple files, the process becomes rather time consuming.
If you have installed the desktop application, the system provides a Drag & Drop functionality, which makes it easy for you to place the files you need to backup in the specific folder of the cloud system.
In order to share a file you have uploaded to the online platform, click the Share button on the web application.
When you click on this option, you will be transferred to the detailed sharing screen.
At this step, if you select the Share File tab of the screen, you can send your file through an email. Otherwise, you can click the Public Link section of the screen and send the file publicly through a generated link that you can post on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and other social networks. Or you can simply copy the link and send it to other users through an email or an instant messenger.
If you have already shared files with other users, or if other users have shared files with you, at the top bar of the web platform you will get a number of options, among which you can locate the Sharing feature. It shows you a list of the files you have shared (Shared by me option) or received (Shared with me option) as shared by other users. This way you can keep track of your file transfers.
Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) now offers wonderful collaboration and file sharing options, which you can use if you simply set up a Google account.
With Google Drive, you can use a free online office package, an alternative to Microsoft Office, and you can also share files and folders, as well as collaborate with other Google users and work simultaneously on online documents.
Google’s online cloud storage platform now works more like Dropbox or any other file-syncing and backup service, while still keeping its core office functionalities. In Google Drive you can create online files, such as text documents, spreadsheets, presentations and forms, which you can export or share for easy collaboration with other users.
In order to get the most of the Google Drive functionalities, you need to download and install the Drive desktop application for your mobile device or computer.
Using Google Drive you can easily share files through creating a customized link. Upon generating the link, you can specify sharing options and user capabilities. For example, you can set various access rights to other users.
For desktop file sharing, perform the following:
If, however, you decide to share a file from your online Google Drive application, perform the following:
Copy is also a great choice for a cloud storage service, offering great file sharing and data backup options.
At sign up the system prompts you to install its desktop application, which largely eases your work, because it automatically creates a folder on your computer, where you can store your valuable files and let them upload and backup to the cloud. The files you upload to the web platform from other devices also copy to your desktop folder automatically, and vice versa.
With Copy, file sharing is really simple. You can do that through a customized link, provided by the platform. Simply open the Copy desktop folder on your computer and right-click on a particular file in the folder. A menu appears, offering the following file sharing options:
You can create a link to your files and share the link with other users and friends. This way they can easily view and download your files, even if they do not have a Copy account.
If you decide to create a link using the online platform, you need to perform the following steps:
There are two ways of sharing files – Public or Private. Public ones can be viewed by anyone, while Private ones require a customized link that you have to send to other users in order to allow them to view and download your files.
When you open a link to another Copy account, sent to you from another user, a button appears, saying Copy to Save, next to the Download button. Using this, you can save the file directly to your Copy account.
The platform works on Windows, Linux and Mac. On mobile, Copy offers applications for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Posted in cloud, cloud storage, file sharing, file syncing, Google Drive, JustCloud, Mega, online cloud storage, online file storage
The pCloud Transfer
pCloud has a new independent service to offer its users. This is the pCloud Transfer. To use this new free file transfer platform of pCloud, simply go to https://transfer.pcloud.com/ and you will get the following start screen. A nice bonus is that you don't need to be a registered user in order to use the service.
Basically, through this new platform you can send multiple files (up to 5GB in size) to other users, who also don't necessarily need to be registered users of pCloud. However, if you register to the pCloud service, you will be able to send files with unlimited size, as long as your quota allows.
In order to use pCloud's free file transfer service, simply enter your friends' or coworkers' emails in the Friend's Email field. When you enter an email, simply click Enter on your keyboard and the email address will be added to the list of emails on top of the field. Alternatively, you can click the + Add more friends option to enter other email addresses. Then, enter your email in the Your Email section, below the other users' emails. This email address will appear as a sender to the email your friends will receive. After you are ready with entering the addresses of your recipients and your email address, add the files you intend to send using the + Add Your Files section on the screen. You also have the option to enter a message to your friends, explaining details of the content you are sending. However, you may choose to leave this field empty. When you are ready with all of the aforementioned steps, click the Transfer button at the bottom of the screen. At this point you will get a cloud screen, showing you the progress of your transfer. To the right of it you will be provided with the option to go to your pCloud account, or, if you are not registered yet, to register an account.
When the transfer is already completed, you are provided with the option to copy these files to your pCloud account or send more files.
When your friends and colleagues receive an email notification for the transfer you are performing, they will get the following:
This screen contains information about the sender (i.e. their email address and their message); a list of the files being sent; an expiry date for the files (they can be downloaded within a period of seven days); an option to Download the files and an option to register to the pCloud platform. When you click on the Download button, you are presented with the following screen.
At this point you have the opportunity to view your files, copy them to pCloud, or Download them. When your recipients open their email, containing a link to your files, you will get a notification that they have received your files. This way you can be sure that the transfer has been successful.
Posted in cloud, cloud storage, file transfer, pCloud, pCloud transfer, send files