Which Companies Give Free Cloud Storage?

Permitting consumers to experience their product prior to buying it drives a lot of companies to offer limited free cloud storage. When your storage needs are small (usually 5GB or less), this no cost service may be enough to meet them. Should you choose to pursue this option, however, it is important you know of the restrictions it presents in the long run.

Some Things to Understand About Free Cloud Storage

Because free online storage providers make the majority of their income from bigger clients who buy storage on the very same network of virtual servers utilized by their non-paying customers, they often put several restrictions on free use.

Low Storage Limits

Free online storage providers generally limit your total storage space to less than 5GB, although some will offer more (e.g. ADrive permits as much as 50GB) while others less (Google Docs limits free customers to 1GB). By limiting the amount of storage space offered, these firms want to encourage free users to upgrade to standard, paying accounts by impressing them with the quality of their service.

Limits on File Size

Along with limiting the quantity of storage space available to free clients, some companies also place limits on the file sizes that may be uploaded. The range in permissible file sizes is pretty large, running from just 2GB up to file sizes that will use up the free account’s total allotted space.

It should be noted that file size limits are only relevant to certain free cloud storage services. Others don’t have this limitation.

Required Use of Access Portals

For an added security step, certain providers force their free clients to use a web portal to access their account. This means that, rather than accessing your stored data by using a desktop client, you’ll be required to log in through a web site in order to use your files.

Ads on Your Portal Page

Among the tradeoffs of using a free storage service is that a portion of your web portal page is used as advertising space by the service provider. By making money with these pages, the provider can generate some revenue from free clients. The drawback for the user is only cosmetic, but may be a concern for some.

Absence of Dedicated Product Support

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage to being a free client is that you don’t get the same amount of product support as standard customers. This means that they’re, essentially, by themselves in dealing with data loss or other issues that may come up with the storage service.

The Advantages of Free Cloud Storage

Apart from the cost advantage (it’s difficult to top a product that is free), free online storage providers also give consumers something that is very rare in business today – the opportunity to test the actual service prior to purchasing it. If your data storage needs are minimal, you will still get to enjoy the same advantages as paying users. If you like the service offered by a specific company and your business’ needs change, you can always upgrade to a full account in order to accommodate your requirements.

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