Cloud storage, a computing model which has been on the rise with physical storage size becoming increasingly expensive and the internet becoming readily available at lightning speeds.
In this article, as the title hints, we’ll be looking at three(3) Titans in the cloud storage industry;
Dropbox-owned by Dropbox, Google drive owned by Google and Box drive owned by Box. Discussing with respect to the following headlines:
File sharing
Synchronization
Pricing
Ecosystem
File sharing
As opposed to local storage, file sharing in the cloud is somewhat different. In this section, we’ll take a look at how these Titans fair under the file sharing benchmark.
Google drive
Google drive lets users share their files in three ways which are;
On the web: Anyone can google your file and get access it
Anyone with a link: Only users signed with a link to the shared file or folder will be able to have access to the file.
Specific people: Only selected or assigned users will have access to your shared file
All of these ways except the last allows users have access to your file without signing onto their google account. On google drive, users can also assign permissions to shared files such as:
View: Individuals or groups shared this file can only view but can’t share the file with others
Comment: With this permission, users can only drop off comments but can edit or change the actual content of the file
Edit: When this permission is assigned to a file, people can make changes, accept or reject suggestions and also share the file with others.
How many people can be shared a file at once? Google allows up to 200 people to be shared a file at once. Can you share to more than 200? Yes! you can, you can add these people to a Google group and share the file with at once. How many people can have access to a file at a time? Google allows up to 100 people to view, edit and comment on a file at the same time.
Dropbox
Dropbox offers a lot of what Google drive has to offer and more in the sense that security in was taken a level higher. Dropbox makes it possible to share a folder or a file with a link like all other cloud storage providers, but also makes it possible to password links such that only people with the set file password will have access to that file.
Cool features projected by Dropbox are:
Real-time updates: Dropbox sends real-time updates to users who have been shared a file when a comment or an edit has been made via email notifications
Subfolder permissions: Dropbox makes it possible to add give permissions to subfolders, thereby making subfolders accessible and the parent folder not accessible.
Box
Box, like other cloud storage providers, makes it possible for users to password shared file links, and also set file permissions as well as delete the shared links to revoke access to certain files or links. Reasons for its unpopularity amongst individuals is because it’s tailored towards businesses and enterprises although it has a free storage plan for individuals. We’ll into these features in depth in the pricing section.
Synchronization
File synchronization is one of the awesome features of using cloud storage. Though cloud storage does not completely abstract local storage, they interface and synchronize with local storage such that you can have the same version of files both on your local storage and your cloud storage. In this section of this article, we’ll talk about file synchronization as regards these cloud storage Titans.
Dropbox
Dropbox makes it possible to have access to all synced files and folders on all devices and platforms including; iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Android. Dropbox also provides offline access to your files and synchronizes changed files when internet access is available across all devices and platforms. Worried about updates made to a file too soon and would like to revert to an older version? Dropbox provides an earlier version of the file for as long as 30 day and 120 days for business users. With Dropbox and smart sync, you can also free up space on your local storage by uploading your files on Dropbox and never worry about never having access to your files.
Google drive
Google drive as do other cloud storage providers preaches the“Carry your files” everywhere you go message. Google drive as anticipated was built to work with Google, which means you can automatically add attachments to your drive, search your drive for words like“Thanos” and get search results of documents containing that word as well as a picture of the actual Thanos taking a stroll in the park. Google drive also supports multiple platforms including; Mac, PC, iOS and Android. One of the cool features of google drive is its ability to scan documents and automatically convert to PDF by taking a picture. With this feature, you don’t have to worry about carrying a scanner everywhere you go or downloading a third-party scanner mobile app. Google drive also provides file versioning for up to 30 days. This means, just like Dropbox, you can backdate the version of your file to the last 30 days. Google drive, like Dropbox, also makes it possible to have access to your files offline, the only difference is you’ll have to specify which files or folders to have access to offline.
Box
Box offers file synchronization quite differently compared to Dropbox and Google Drive in the sense that it has a productivity tool called Box Sync. Box sync makes it possible for end users to select files or folders they want to sync between their box and desktop. This would provide enable users to have access to selected files or folders on any desktop application which has Box Sync installed. Box also makes it possible to take photos, videos, recordings as well as snap document scans like Google drive, and, have them saved directly onto your box drive without having to use your camera roll using a mobile(iOS) app called Box Capture. Box has other applications that perform different functions that leverage on Box, these applications will be discussed further in the enterprise section.
Pricing
As free as it seems, cloud storage comes at a price for large-scale use. In this section, we’ll look at the different pricing plans provided by our cloud storage Titans.
File sharing
Synchronization
Pricing