With the availability of free cloud storage, there are fewer and fewer excuses for not backing up your information.
Most people know that they should be backing up their data on a regular basis to avoid loss due to corruption, physical damage, theft, or cybercrime. But they fall short of meeting this goal. For some people, it’s a matter of laziness; they don’t want to make the effort to find the right storage provider, nor do they want to waste time manually backing up their data.
But for others, it’s a matter of cost. Nobody wants to spend hundreds of dollars per month for a backup service whose value is hard to explicitly calculate.
That said, with the availability of free cloud storage, there are fewer and fewer excuses for not backing up your information.
Free cloud storage
Free cloud storage is plentifully available. If you know where to look, you can find a platform where you can conveniently sign up in a matter of minutes, and then begin uploading your most important files. From there, you'll be able to view and download your files however you see fit and whenever you want.
Some of the time, this free cloud storage is unconditional and unlimited, practically guaranteeing you access to what you're uploading indefinitely,so long as your account remains active.
Why would a company do this?
There are several possible motivations. Sometimes, this is an effort to build brand awareness and develop a better reputation. Other times, it's a sales or marketing tactic designed to get people using the software, so they're incentivized to upgrade at some point in the future.
But we also have to consider the fact that because so many companies are offering free cloud storage, new competitors on the scene are forced to match or beat their offer.
The caveats
Of course, there are usually a few caveats to the free cloud storage offer.
- Choice in provider. Not every cloud storage provider offers free cloud storage, and you might find significantly different offers between different competitors. That's why it's a good idea to shop around, even if you're specifically looking for something simple and free.
- Limited storage. In most cases, there's an upper limit to the amount of free cloud storage you can take advantage of. For example, you might have instant access to 2 gigabytes of storage; when you reach this threshold, you'll need to spend some extra money to get access to extra storage space.
- Limited features. Some companies restrict you in terms of which features you can utilize within the platform. For example, you may not be able to access additional security features and some sharing features may be disabled with a free account.
- Limited access. In rare cases, the free cloud storage is offered merely as a limited-time trial. Once your free trial period has expired, you may no longer have access to the files you've uploaded.
Tips for better backups
If you want to take full advantage of the free cloud storage available to you, use these tips to create better data backups:
- Keep your files organized. Do whatever you can to keep your files organized. If you upload a batch of files to a cloud storage provider with no clear naming convention and no folder structure, you're going to have a hard time finding what you’re looking for in the future. Most cloud storage platforms have an intuitive search feature and convenient sorting options, but these can only take you so far if your files are disorganized.
- Do your due diligence. Just because the company is offering free cloud storage doesn't mean it's a surefire bet. Before uploading any files to any provider, do your due diligence. Investigate the caveats limiting the free storage offer, investigate the company's reputation, look at pricing models, and study previous customer reviews.
- Capitalize on multiple services (if appropriate). There's no rule that you can only use one free cloud storage provider. If you have a lot of files to upload and you don't want to pay for a long-term subscription, consider capitalizing on multiple services at once, splitting your files between them.
- Be willing to upgrade if necessary. Free cloud storage is a great place to start, but it's not going to provide you with everything you need indefinitely. It's important to be willing to upgrade your plan if and when appropriate, such as when your storage needs change or when you're ready for more robust features.
More diligent data backups can improve your security, protect your most important files, and save you a lot of time and effort if you’re ever the victim of a data breach. And with the prevalence of free (and inexpensive) cloud storage, there’s no good reason not to be using at least one backup solution.
Take this time to audit your own data backup habits and fine-tune them for better long-term protection.
Photo by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash
