A couple of weeks ago, I went over the pros and cons of gradually moving a lot of your files, paper and data to a cloud hosted environment. I’ve been trying out a few different services and I thought that I’d share my thoughts so far. I think it’s worth taking a few hours to think about:
-What your needs are (depending if you plan to use it as a backup, to store photos, media files, etc, your needs will change greatly)
-What budget you are willing to use (if any.. You can do part of it for free)
-How much time you are willing to use
-Your technical skills (or lack of) 
Your Main Options To Consider
Dropbox
About Dropbox: Private company hyped to become public at some point, it was founded a few years ago and has became the leading cloud source for consumers and small businesses
File types hosted in the clouds: Any type of file
How it works:You can install Dropbox on any of your PC’s or Mac computers. The selected folder will automatically sync with your dropbox account. Any file included in that folder will end up being sent over to Dropbox, hosted there, and copied to the folders of other computers that you have signuped with. Also, you can access all of those files either through the web by going to Dropbox.com or by using mobile apps for iphone or Android
Free space: 2gb (you can also get an additional 16gb for free by inviting friends)
Prices: 50gb for $9.99/month or $99/year, 100gb for $19.99/month or $199/year, etc
Find out more at Dropbox.com
Flickr
About Flickr: Flickr is a photo sharing service offered by Yahoo that has grown to become a major platform for sharing but also having backups of photos
File types hosted in the clouds: Mostly photos and videos
How it works:You can sign up for a free account at Flickr. Once you log in, you can upload files in a similar way to what you would do when attaching photos to an email, by selecting them one by one.
Free space: 300mb
Prices: Unlimited space for $24.85 per year (nothing is ever *unlimited but it should be enough within reaon)
Find out more at Flickr.com
Evernote
About Evernote: Evernote is a mostly cloud-based product that is mostly used on mobile devices and has gained a lot of popularity in recent years
How it works:You can take quick notes of ideas, take pictures, then store them on the service to easily retrieve them when needed. While it can be used for larger files, most users use it to remember simple things such as wine bottles, menu items, photo of a person or location, etc.
Free space: I did not find the exact quantity but the free account is more than enough for the vast majority of users
Prices: Increased size for $5/month or $45/year
Find out more at Evernote.com
Google Drive
About Google Drive: Newly launched service by Google, it had been hyped about for years and finally launched with many happy users but also other disappointed ones.
File types hosted in the clouds: Any type of file
How it works:Very similar to Dropbox. You can install Google Drive on any of your PC’s or Mac computers. The selected folder will automatically sync with your Gdrive account. Any file included in that folder will end up being sent over to Dropbox, hosted there, and copied to the folders of other computers that you have signuped with. Also, you can access all of those files either through the web by going to your Google account.
Free space: 5gb
Prices: 25gb for $2.49/month, 100gb for $4.99/month, etc
Find out more at GDocsDrive.com
iCloud
About iCloud: It is the answer from Apple to services such as Dropbox and Google Drive. It is geared towards Mac users
File types hosted in the clouds: Any type of file
How it works:Its goal is to make files available in itunes or purchased through the itunes store both available from any device but also backed up.
Free space: 5gb
Prices: 10gb for $20/year, 20gb for $40.00year, 50gb for $100/year etc
Find out more at iCloud.com
Netflix
About Netflix: Netflix originally started as a better way to rent movies as they were rented out by mail without having to visit a rental store. Over time, the company moved towards streaming movies.
File types hosted in the clouds: Movies
How it works:Once you have an account, you get access to an unlimited number of movies for a monthly fee, you access those through an internet connection through a computer, mobile device or a device connected to your tv such as an xbox gaming console.
Free space: N/A
Prices: Depends on regions but it is generally $7.99/month
Find out more at Netflix.com
Amazon
About Amazon: Amazon is not only the largest online retailer in the world but it’s one of the biggest ones competing with Wallmart and others. It offers a variety of services depending on your needs.
File types hosted in the clouds: All types
How it works: Amazon is a bit different because they have many different services that are offered. Amazon Cloud is probably the one that competes with services such as Dropbox or Google Drive. But Amazon also offers a variety of services for other needs.
Free space: 5gb
Prices: 20gb for $20/year, $50gb for $50/year, etc
Find out more at Amazon.com/Clouddrive
If you have any experience with these or other services, I’d love to hear about them!
