Cloud Computing - backing up your files
In this session we looked at the pros and cons of various backup methods:
Flash drives
- Pros:
- Easy to use, cheap, don't break when dropped.
- Cons:
- Can corrupt when removed suddenly from PCs, can be easily lost, not automatic
External drives
- Pros:
- Easy to use, can be set to back up automatically, large space, not too expensive.
- Cons:
- Can be damaged if dropped, only backs up one device at a time.
DVD discs
- Pros:
- Easy to use, cheap, don't break when dropped, last about 6 - 8 years
- Cons:
- Limited capacity, not automatic, easily lost, takes a lot of time if many files are to be backed up.
Cloud backup
- Pros:
- Works across devices, free for amounts up to 25GB or more if several programs are put on one computer, automatic - back up happens immediately a file is closed, files can be accessed from the clouds wherever you are.
- Cons:
- Needs internet - wifi for mobile devices, only as secure as your password, far less storage than external drives.
Which cloud solution is best?
It depends on several factors:
- size of free storage to start with
- features such as the ability to easily share files and folders, speed of upload, which of your devices it works with (not many work on Linux PC's).
For beginners I would recommend Microsoft's Skydrive option, Google Drive, SugarSync and Dropbox. But really there isn't much difference between most of the offerings. For sharing files and folders, Box.com is perhaps the best.
Resources:
Here are some websites of software that can save your files to the clouds:
www.skydrive.com
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