Jamaicans and Cloud Storage - Why Google Drive is the best paid Cloud Service

The cloud trend for storing files is not going to go away in 2018….and it is set to make a huge splash in 2019.

Most regular consumers and businesses rely on local storage hardware and infrastructure as explained in my Geezam blog article entitled “How to do Physical Backup using DVD and CD and Best software” to keep their precious files easily accessible on the web.

However, which one is best for you in 2019?

There are so many cloud storage providers out there as I had done ca list a long time ago as noted in my Geezam blog article entitled “How to Backup your Data using the a List of the Best Free Backup Solutions”; one has to choose a cloud storage wisely for the long term, preferably using the following criteria:

1. Maximum amount of Storage measured in GB
2. low-cost storage
3. Adequate bandwidth for uploading
4. Safe and secure storage, especially for sensitive data

To this end, I've compiled a list of my favourites I've used over the years as well as other new on the scene worth mentioning. They all offer free and paid options, but based on the quality of service many of them offer, you will not find it hard to upgrade to their paid services,

This as many of them offer encryption options for your precious data.

Cloud storage - 2019 is gonna be a great year

Ok so as to make thing simple, here are my main file storage solutions arranged in an easy to read table:

Name	Free Storage	Paid Storage	Website
Dropbox	2GB	1TB for $10 a month with Dropbox Plus 2TB for $19.99 a month	https://www.dropbox.com/
Google Drive	15GB free	100GB for $1.99 a month 200GB for $2.99 a month 2TB for $9.99 a month 10TB for $99.99 a month 20TB for $199.99 a month 30TB for $299.99 a month	https://www.google.com/drive/
Mega	50GB free	200GB for $6 a month 1TB for $12 a month 4TB for $23 a month 8TB for $35 a month	https://mega.nz/
OneDrive	5GB free	50GB for $3 a month 1TB for $8 a month 5TB for $11 a month	https://onedrive.live.com/
iCloud	5GB free	50GB for $0.99 a month 200GB for $2.99 a month 2TB for $9.99 a month	https://www.icloud.com/
Box	10GB free	100GB for around $10 a month	https://www.box.com/home
IDrive	5GB free	2TB for $52 a year 250GB for $74.62 a year	https://www.idrive.com/
pCloud	20GB free	500GB for $3.99 paid annually 2TB for $7.99 paid annually 500GB for 175$ for life 2TB for 350$ for life	https://www.pcloud.com/

As you can see, they all have paid options.

Personal cloud - NextCloud lets you DIY

Of special note is NextCloud, which is a self-hosting cloud storage solution that allows you to set up your own cloud-storage center. They offer a free software to download and install a cloud storage service.

This means that you are effectively dedicating a computer to become a Cloud server on your Home or Office Network and thus you benefit from faster storage and data access speeds. NextCloud also offers encryption, making it pointless for hackers to steal your data

Newbies to Server installation and maintenance can purchase a pre-configured NextCloud Box with 1TB HD, but I recommend that you get the experience of DIY (Doing it Yourself).

Google Drive - At US$19.99, they are the best cloud storage by far

My main go-to solution is Google Drive, but Dropbox is the all-time favourite, even with my students at the High School I teach, mainly because its been around the longest.

But you won't go wrong paying for Google Drive cloud storage......as their prices for 100GB which is US$19.99 for the year is quite reasonable.