Posted on 5/12/11 by Bryan Keithley · Comments
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Life in the Cloud: Comparing Cloud Storage Solutions
Cloud computing is about OS nimbleness and cross-platform versatility, and in that spirit several next-gen storage solutions have emerged, promising to store your stuff, make it accessible across all your devices, and sync it up in real-time. In this entry, we take a look at three of the most popular cloud computing storage sites – ZumoDrive, Dropbox, and SugarSync – to see which one might be best for your storage needs.
Let's start with what these services have in common. All are freemium services. Dropbox features 2GB of storage free, ZumoDrive only 1GB, and SugarSync a generous 5GB. From there, you can step up to paid monthly subscriptions. ZumoDrive's 10GB service is only $2.99/mo, but its 500GB service is a pricey $79.99/mo (SugarSync's is only $39.99/mo). So, you have to choose pricing that fits your needs and that you're comfortable with.
Dropbox is perhaps the patriarch of the cloud storage sites. It's the most popular, and that leads to one of its key features: a vibrant community that frequently cranks out useful add-ons. For example, a user created “Send to Dropbox,” which allows you to email files to your dropbox rather than dragging-and-dropping like usual. Useful!
Another thing to really like about Dropbox is its rich history and version rollbacks, which is pretty much the best in the biz. A detailed and easily-accessed history will show you timestamped notes for all files changed and uploaded on Dropbox, which is valuable in collaborative environments. And for 30 days, all the versions of any files can be rolled back and retrieved. And a premium upgrade is “Pack-rat,” which allows for version rollbacks for the life of the file. In comparison, a drawback to SugarSync is that only the last 5 versions of any file are saved.
ZumoDrive can boast of a unique integration with a computer's file system. ZumoDrive is cloud storage that appears local to an OS, and this makes it perfect for integration with iTunes. You can import a playlist and play songs without saving to the local hard drive, for one example, so ZumoDrive is the absolute best for music swapping. And it ain't too shabby in terms of photo storage, either, as it integrates with iPhoto and Picasa as well.
SugarSync has positioned itself as cloud storage with the broadest platform compatibility. All three work with Mac, PC, and iPhone, but for example, SugarSync features support for Windows Mobile and Symbian whereas Dropbox does not. And ZumoDrive is the least platform-friendly, as it does not yet feature support for android or iPad.
SugarSync also has some key features for business and collaborative applications. This includes admin-style access controls with passwords and storage limits per user.
Personally, we like ZumoDrive for individuals with a moderate amount of data, Dropbox for people in need of a heftier storage solution, and SugarSync for larger corporate use, but check out each site and see what works for you.
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