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Tag: google-drive

  • Seagate’s New Inexpensive Cloud Storage Favors Small Businesses

    Seagate’s New Inexpensive Cloud Storage Favors Small Businesses

    seagate-personal-cloud

    Google Drive, One Drive, or Dropbox have all become popular with cloud storage but there is a new wave blowing – that of personal cloud data storage and to this end Seagate has stepped in to provide Personal Cloud service.

    The storage giant showcased its new Iaas, Infrastructure-as-a-Service products at the CES 2015. According to Seagate, their aim is to provide storage services to individuals who wish to access music, photos, and videos anytime anywhere and they will be able to do so using their phones and tablets. Small businesses can also benefit from the service as they are able to securely store, retrieve and share data stored on the personal cloud drive.

    Small businesses are bound to benefit from this service more than individual customers. Why so? For starters, the storage space. The personal cloud line offers 3-5 terabytes while the personal cloud 2 bay line gives 4, 6, and 8 TB.

    Here is another reason, for security reasons. Personal cloud 2 bay can be set up in RAID( Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) 1 mode or better yet, it is possible to use all storage for file storage.

    The device is compatible with the Apple Time Machine and continously and automatically backs up windows and mac. Apart fom the storage devices being NAS, they can also compliment public cloud service when configured. Better yet, they can automatically back up to the popular providers like HiDrive, DropBox, Amazon S3, Baidu, Box, and Yandex disk. The device has an option where it can be synced to Google Drive, Baidu and DropBox.

    Additional apps can be installed as the device has a built-in app manager. BitTorrent Sync, ElephantDrive and WordPress can all be installed. Also, the software development kit enables third-party developers to come up with their own services or to intergrate such with web based and other cloud services.

    This service is benefitial to individuals but more benefitial to small businesses. Considering businesses are out to reduce their cost, this would work well for them as its inexpensive.`

  • Loaded and locked – 3 seriously secure cloud storage services


    Some of the popular, efficient and convenient cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and SugarSync can sometimes be insecure. Your files may be accessible to companies due to the lack of encryption and unprotected data transfers. Before uploading sensitive files to the large storage services you can use smaller, more secure cloud storage services like Wuala and Tresorit to encrypt the files. Alternatively, you can encrypt the files yourself.

    Wuala

    Wuala is compatible with Linux, iOS, Windows, and Android operating systems. Its first 5GB storage space is free and its packages cost starts from $4 per month for 20GB storage space.

    LaCie is the company behind the Wuala cloud storage company, and it offers unique services in two ways;
    Encryption of files by clients: you are in charge of your file encryption on your device prior to uploading it it the cloud. This ensures that only you can gain access to the uploaded data, making data transfer extremely secure.

    Password confidentiality: You are the only person who has access to your password and not even Wuala employees are able to know it. This means that forgetting your password would give you a very nasty experience trying to access your files.

    Tresorit

    Tresorit is compatible with Mac OS X, Widows, iOS, and Android operating systems. 5GB is free and its package price starts at $7 per month for 100GB of storage space.

    Tresorit provides secure data transfers and data centers able to protect data against data invasion as well as client side encryption.

    Tresorit’s client side data encryption is similar to that of Wuala in terms of confidential password protection. A differentiating feature is the ability to secure any folder on your device by just ‘tresor-ing’ it. This means that you can right click on any folder and secure it.

    McAfee personal locker

    This cloud storage service is compatible with Android, Windows 8, and iOS operating systems. All McAfee LiveSafe subscribers get 1 GB free storage space.

    Its features include a PIN, face and voice recognition security measures, which you will have to go through to access high priority files. Low priority files only require a PIN to gain access.

    Local File Encryption

    Instead of going through the wearisome task of getting a new cloud storage service, applications like TrueCrypt will be useful in helping you encrypt your data inside your cloud folder. This will work well in keeping your files safe and secure.

  • Google Drive and its Game-Changing Strategy

    Google Drive has recently unleashed a storage structure that is set to change the way people view cloud storage. They have now made it possible to have online storage no matter the size. For the first 15Gb per month no fee will be charged, $1.99 for 100GB, $9.99 for 1TB and $99.99 for 10TB and above. Their new price structure makes it easier to afford online storage especially for large companies.

    Let’s compare Google drive data plan with other plans. Sugar sync charges $55 for a terabyte of data of up to three users while this cost $10 a month at Google drive. Dropbox charges $9.99 for a month’s 100 GB while Google drive offers the same space at around $2 a month. Apple charges $8.33 a month for 50 GB storage while you can be able to double that storage size for a much lesser fee. The most popular cloud service S3 cloud service offers a terabyte of storage space at $85 a month while on Google drive a terabyte cost around $10. Finally Microsoft which offer annual data plans offers 50 GB at $25 for the year while one can be able to get much more data storage and almost the same price.

    With the changes in prices in Google drives data plans, the other companies will try to lower their costs hence making online data storage that was once viewed as an expensive venture more affordable to many people and companies at a regular fee. Now more money will go into the company as opposed to it going into storage Plans for the company. This will be beneficial in making cloud storage one of the most used storage options and thereby lessening the use of traditional storage means. Just by simply changing their price structure, Google drive has been able to revolutionize how cloud storage is viewed.

  • Dropbox Spam Attack Underlines Possible Security Issues with Cloud Storage

    Dropbox is currently one of the industry leaders in cloud storage, alongside products like RapidShare, Google Drive and MediaFire. But when Dropbox became the target of a fairly major spam attack, even those that promote cloud computing had to admit that cloud storage poses a real security issue for IT professionals.

    The spam attack that Dropbox users experienced was traced back to the source, specifically one particular user who didn’t follow the basic rules of password security. A hacker snagged several users’ log-in information off a wide range of site, including the info of a current Dropbox employee, and discovered that employee used the same password and login for his Dropbox account as he did on the other sites. He accessed the employee Dropbox account and discovered a document filed with email addresses for other users. The result was tons of spam messages pushing Dropbox users to gambling sites.

    Although this problem was fairly minor in the grand scheme of things, it underlines the larger problem. Something much more sinister could have been introduced to the system, or the hacker could have figured out how to access some of the data stored on the Dropbox cloud. It starts with the individual’s misuse of passwords, but it also suggests that cloud storage employees may not be taking their responsibilities as seriously as they should.

    This time it was a list of emails, and that list was included without an additional password or any sort of encryption. Next time it could be government paperwork, or banking and medical records. Dropbox responded strongly to the issue, declaring they will instantly be incorporating security changes.

    Those changes will include an additional piece of identity proof during the sign-in authentication process, automated checks through the system searching out suspicious actions, a way for users to review their log-in history, and frequent requests to change passwords.

    It’s never going to be foolproof, but it is a solid step in the right direction. IT administrators will need to take a lesson from the Dropbox fiasco, and remind their coworkers about the need for heightened security. With billions of files now stored on the cloud, there’s simply too much data at risk to stand idly by.

  • Obi202 VoIP Adapter Allows for Free Local Calls

    A company called Obihai Technology has created the Obi202, a VoIP adapter that, when used in conjunction with Google Talk gives consumers the ability to make unlimited free local calls. Google will allow the service to run free of charge through the end of the year, and the Obi202 can be bought for a mere $75 on Amazon.com.

    The crux of the Obi202’s visibility comes through their partnership with Google Talk. There are many other VoIP adapters on the market, but with the Obi202, a user doesn’t even need a computer to make or receive calls. In addition, it will work with any standard telephone. You plug the device into your router, and you’re basically ready to use the service.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources

    Google has allowed free local calls with Google Talk since the summer of 2010, and they’ll continue to do so through the end of the year. At the end of each year they made an announcement about continued free service. So users will have to take a wait and see approach, as Google may end up offering another year of free local calls in the eleventh hour.

    Basic calling isn’t the only thing the Obi202 can do. Hop on your Android or iOs-powered device and download the OBiON app. It’s free as well, and will give you a fantastic additional service, the ability to bridge calls from your cell phone. That means even if you have a tablet or an iPod device with network service, you could then use it to make calls. And with a bit of extra code work, you could even receive incoming calls as well.

    Reviewers have been more than pleased with the latest version of the Obi202. The voice quality is impeccable, the router they ship is solid, and you can connect two different phone handsets and set up as many as four different VoIP accounts. It plugs right into a USB port, and can be connected to a hard drive that will then link into the router. Basically, it allows you to create your own cloud storage service, and you can link it up with Google Drive or Dropbox for added features.

  • LawCaseXchange Offers a "DropBox for Lawyers"

    Cloud storage has become a viable option for all businesses, but some industries need services more closely tailored to their needs. Thanks to a startup that just launched on Friday, lawyers should soon have what they’re looking for.

    The company is called LawCaseXchange, and the goal of Founder Shayn McFarland is to create a service that can share case documents quickly and securely online. McFarland has spent the last decade working as a paralegal, observing the inefficient way that case files were emailed or sent by physical couriers.

    Many cloud storage services have cropped up over the past few years, but none of the big titles, such as Dropbox, iCloud or Google Drive, focused enough on organization and collaboration to fit the needs of legal professionals.

    LawCaseXchange addresses those issues directly. Case files can be organized inside of specific case folders, with the proper parties invited to check out a new document as soon as it is uploaded. All files are available for the life of the case, and if new counsel comes on board, they have the complete history at their disposal.

    The startup utilizes Amazon’s S3 cloud, and it’s 256-bit encryption technology. McFarland said that they needed that massive might in case the company’s stored data is ever subpoenaed. It’s a similar level of support that the big companies enjoy, and is currently being put through the paces by a large legal firm based in San Diego.

    According to some attorneys that commented on the new product release, LawCaseXchange should be a fantastic resource for smaller firms that can’t afford to build out an internal management system for the massive amount of documents that pour through their office.

    Companies looking to pick up the service can get started for only $10 a month, which buys 5GB of dedicated storage and 30GB of downloads. At the highest level, $60 a month will buy 200GB of storage and 200GB of downloads.

  • Will Google Drive Deliver?

    For those new to cloud storage, Google Drive is a great option for a small business, a startup or even individual use. Each account comes with 5 gigabytes of free cloud storage on the Google system, and then you pay a variable rate per month based on the amount of additional storage you require. Many people are already jumping on board, adding the Drive to the wide range of Google products they already use. But is it worth the money?

    Early reviews say that it’s very easy to access and set up. The drive includes documents that will help even the computer novice get right in action. It integrates seamlessly with Google Docs, importing anything you already have there. It’s also incredibly secure. As long as you frequently change your Google password, you’ll have very little to worry about. Google Drive can only be accessed after two steps of verification, and their business support requires and receives the latest in online security measures.

    But what about the price? After that first set of free storage, the next 25 gigabytes will only cost you $2.49 a month. The highest amount of storage they currently offer is 16 terrabytes for $799 a month, which only major international corporations will require. So if you compare that to the price of physical storage options, as well as the added price of requiring backups for all of those devices, and you’ll find it’s an incredibly good deal. Of course, you’ll also have the benefit of being able to access your content from any device that’s internet-connected. So if you suffer a theft or a fire, or are simply traveling and need one of your stored documents, all will be available to you. Google Drive is new to the market, and some may be cautious about taking advantage of the completely altered workflow. But at that price and those capabilities, you can rest assured your money is being well spent.