January 20, 2008

In a recent post about del.icio.us, I highlighted the advantages of tagging and saving bookmarks online instead of locally. Having information tethered to one computer is not practical, convenient, or necessary. The same holds true for important data files; your “desktop” takes on a whole new meaning when working with multiple computers in various locations. Today we are going to briefly examine three online file storage solutions that can help ensure you are never without access to your crucial documents.


GSpace

GSpace is a Firefox extension that lets you use your Gmail account for file storage. After downloading the extension, restart your browser and select Tools –> GSpace. The GSpace console will open and you can add your Gmail account information. Once logged in, you can then use File Transfer to manage files, Player Mode to listen to music files stored on GSpace, Photo Mode to view your images, and Gmail Drive to manage your Gdrive files. The FTP-like interface is very intuitive, but should questions arise a help menu and tutorial are readily available.

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Firefox users looking for a free and simple way to store and retrieve files will find GSpace very appealing. The 6+ GB (and growing) of storage space should meet the needs of most users, and the price (free) can’t be beat. For those needing more features and flexibility, however, there are other options.


DigitalBucket

Launched in August of 2007, DigitalBucket is a relative newcomer to the online file storage market. Offering four tiers of service, their “beta” plan is free (for now) and offers 1 GB of space. Like GSpace, DigitalBucket uses a browser-based graphical interface that takes only minutes to master. More than a storage tool, however, DigitalBucket allows you to create and modify Word and Excel documents online (via Zoho) and share your files with other users.

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Not having to upload/download frequently modified files can reduce “versioning headache” and being able to grant read-write access to others makes DigitalBucket a great collaborative storage tool. If you are willing to spend a little money, however, you’ll find that a few dollars can go a long way.


Box.net

Box.net was free when I started using it in 2006. While they now charge $25 a year for 2 GB of storage, they have a more robust interface and feature-set than either GSpace or DigitalBucket. Transferring files and folders is easy with Box.net’s drag and drop java uploader, and their Openbox Services (Picnic, Zoho, and Scribd) make online editing and publishing a straight-forward process. The “Box Widget” can be used to share files on a blog or website, and iGoogle users can add a Box.net widet to their homepage for quick access to their files.

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Take Your Pick

When deciding which online solution is right for you, it is important to consider features, cost, and peace of mind. GSpace is free, offers plentiful storage, and because it is tied to Firefox and Gmail, will most likely be around for quite some time (you don’t want your storage provider to suddenly go out of business). DigitalBucket is still in beta, and while there is an inherent risk in using any beta product, it offers a great set of tools and the security of Amazon’s Simple Storage Service, the same infrastructure that Amazon.com uses to store its own data. Box.net has been around longer than the others and while it comes with a price, it stands above the crowd in terms of form and function.

To learn more, take a 10 minute test drive of your own and see what works best for you. Regardless of your choice, it won’t take long for you to see the benefits of online storage.

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