DACS General Meeting
February 2013
Meeting Review:
Cloud Storage Services, by Drew Kwashnak

By Richard Corzo

We've all heard of the cloud, so it was great to have Drew Kwashnak share his experience with the array of cloud storage services available. Drew started by mentioning that he sometimes needs to start on a document at work and finish it at home. One solution is to use a cloud storage service to store the document, so it's accessible from both places. Drew explained that cloud storage is an extension of the idea of a shared network drive. Instead of being only accessible from a local area network, you can access it from any computer or device that has Internet access.

Many services provide desktop applications that allow integrating the cloud drive with the local file system so you can move or delete the files using the Explorer or Finder interface that you are used to. Most provide access on mobile devices, but you'll need to check which platforms they support. You will also typically find a Web interface in case apps are not provided on some of the platforms you use, or you are using a borrowed computer or device.

Cloud services are a convenience, but there are some downsides. You need Internet access in most cases, although the desktop applications may provide local copies on your hard drive. You also lose some control since you are dependent on another company. They might stop offering the service, or start charging or change their pricing. Typically there is some amount of storage offered for free, but additional storage will require an annual fee.

Services typically come in two flavors: a synchronized folder or an online locker. The synchronized folder is the one that keeps a local copy of your files and folders by way of a desktop application. Mobile devices may only have on-demand access to save space, but you can download the specific files you need. An online locker means that is the only place the files exist, and are accessible through an application or browser.
Drew had a chart of the features of a whole list of cloud storage services, including Apple's iCloud, Microsoft's Sky Drive, Dropbox, Box, and others I wasn't familiar with. You can find that chart in his presentation on the DACS Downloads page (http://www.dacs.org/downloads/dacsdownloads.htm), detailing the amount of free storage, pricing for additional storage, and platforms supported.

Drew also talked about online backup solutions, which are a good supplement to a backup you might have to an external drive. He mentioned Carbonite, CrashPlan, and Mozy. Restoring can take quite a while, so you may not want the online backup as your only backup.

Some audience members realized that cloud storage is a useful thing, but also recognized that they need to get their files organized because they were scattered across different folders or machines, sometimes with multiple copies that need to be reconciled. I think everyone came away with new-found information and a desire to take more advantage of the cloud services available.