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Introduction
When we’re working, I come across situations where I have to exchange and save files.
This entry introduces an online storage service that provides more convenient and cost-effective file management.
What is an online storage service?
The online storage service enables you to store files online.
In general, it refers to a service in which files are stored on a cloud server and can be viewed on the go. For example, there are many services that have cross-device deployment such as you can browse through applications.
Most of the services are basically free. As a business model, it is a freemium model, and I have an impression that there are many ways to charge when you increase the capacity.
DropBox
The standard online storage service is DropBox.
DropBox not only provides free storage, but can also be used across desktop, mobile, tablet, and other devices.
Price plan
The price plan of DropBox is as follows.
- Basic（Free）：2GB
- Plus（1,200 JPY/M）：1TB
corporate plan is as follows.
- Professional (2,400 yen per month): 2 TB
- Standard (1,250 yen per month) – 3TB
- Advanced (2,000 yen per month) — Capacity as needed
Characteristics
Installing the software makes it easy to synchronize multiple devices. On the other hand, 2GB of free plan might be relatively small.
Google Drive
Google Drive is a file storage service offered by Google.
If you have a Google account, you can share it with anyone from any device.
Price plan
Price is as follows.
- G Suite Utilization – No Capacity Limit ($10 -25/month)
- Enterprise: $0.04/GB/month
Characteristics
Unlimited capacity available. It also integrates with Google Spreadsheets, Slides, and Documents for simplicity and ease of use.
Box
Box is a storage service whose selling point is “Secure”. Protect all your content with advanced security management capabilities, encryption key management, and full information governance. You can use Box to store and exchange security-critical files.
Price plan
The personal plan offers 10 GB for free. It has a large capacity for free.
There are four corporate plans. The highest level of business plus has unlimited capacity.
Characteristics
Box features a secure service as described above, and a collaborative editing service from a usability standpoint. This part is unique because very few services allow collaborative editing of files.
One Drive
One Drive is a storage service offered by Microsoft.
Price plan
The personal plan is as follows. You can use 5GB for free.
The corporate plan is as follows. Plan 1 provides 1 TB of storage per user. Plan 2 has unlimited capacity. It can be said that the cost performance is very good.
Characteristics
It is compatible with Microsoft products. At the same time, a large capacity plan that takes advantage of Microsoft’s scale is attractive.
Evernote
Evernote is more of a note-taking and clipping service than a central storage service. You can store not only files, but also photos, sounds, notes, and more.
Price plan
Evernote is also free. It will be a paid version with various updates such as capacity.
For individuals, there are free “Basic” and 600 yen “Premium” per month. There is a corporate plan that costs 1,100 yen per month for 1 user.
Monthly upload capacity
- Basic：60MB
- Premium：10GB
- Business：20GB+2GB（1ユーザーにつき）
Characteristics
Evernote’s handy feature is that you can save notes and other text data very quickly, but it may not be ideal for storing large files.
iCloud Drive
iCloud Drive is a storage service provided by Apple. It works very seamlessly with the iPhone and other devices, making it very easy to store photos and music and other content.
Price plan
You can use 5GB with the free plan. You can expand the capacity up to 2TB with a plan of 1,300 yen per month.
Characteristics
As for iCloud Drive, it can be said that it is for private use. It may be the easiest way to imagine the use of iCloud Drive such as automatically saving photos taken with iPhone and sharing them with family.
Amazon Cloud Drive
Amazon Cloud Drive is available from Amazon. It is a service that is easy to use in private as it is automatically stored when you download from Amazon music service.
Price plan
The free plan gives you 5GB. With the paid plan, you can use the storage from 800 yen per year.
Characteristics
It seems to be very compatible with Amazon’s content download and easy to use.
However, the ability to share files with other people is not available at this time, so it may not be very useful at work.
Which is the best cost performance?
Box is the free plan with the most storage capacity. However, if you want to create G suite account, you’ll probably prefer unlimited Google Drive.
And finally
When it comes to storage services, choosing the one that best suits your needs, whether it’s business or private, or whether you have a lot or little file sharing, will lead to better usage. This completes the entry for the recommended online storage service.
