So you have decided that you want or need to store your data online? However, there are plenty of online storage services each offering the "best service ever". But how can you judge what the best online storage service is? There are a couple of things that you have to keep in mind and ask yourself to take the right decision.

1.How much storage do you need?

Online storage plans range from 2 GB up to unlimited. The question is how much storage do you really need for your files? Not everybody needs unlimited online storage, especially if you only want to have access to some documents. Probably in this case a free account is the right option for you. On the other hand, if you are a photographer or a video producer you might need several hundreds of gigabytes of storage in the cloud. So the 1st thing to do is to gauge how much storage you need. Probably the easiest way to figure that out is downloading my Backup Planner Elite. That little piece of software scans your hard drive and estimates your storage needs and gives you a recommendation at the end which online storage might be best for you.

2.

Do you need file syncing and sharing?

Determining whether you need to sync your files among multiple machines or share your files with friends and family can reduce significantly the price of online storage you pay. File synchronization is still a quite expensive endeavor for online storage companies. That's why it is hard to find providers which offer file synchronization for less than $10 per month. So ask yourself: do you have multiple machines that you need to keep in sync? If so you absolutely need a service which offers file syncing. Also, think about if you want to frequently share files with friends, family or colleagues. You have to look at the details of the different storage plans to make sure to choose the right one.

3.

Do you need online storage or a complete backup?

There is a difference between online storage and online backup. While online storage is more about storing individual files in the cloud, online backup is rather for storing and transferring your whole hard drive to an online backup service. Many services today do combine those services, however, some do only be one or the other. Your decision is going to be easier if you know previously what kind of storage you need. It can be advisable to get both an online storage and an online backup service. For example, you could sign up for a free 2 GB dropbox account while also backing up your whole hard drive with JustCloud.

4.

What kind of files do you want to store online?

Many online storage and backup services limit the file size you can upload to their servers. So you have to think in advance if you need to upload files that are larger than 2 GB. In rare occasions this might be the case. The average user does not have files of that size. But it would be a shame if you didn't know about that limit and lost an important file that is impossible to recover.

5.

How fast is your Internet connection?

Storing files online can take weeks depending on the amount of data you need to back up and also on the speed of your Internet connection. If you have a slow Internet connection uploads might take several weeks until all your important files are stored. If that is the case, you have to look for online storage providers that offer so-called seeded backups. They allow you to send in an external hard drive and they do the transfer of the files for you saving you days or even weeks of upload time..

In a nutshell, the more you think about your requirements the better your choice off and online storage service will be. If you keep in mind the things I mentioned above then you are certainly on the right track of choosing the best provider for all your digital files.

Below you find the top reasons why people shy away from using online storage or backup. Also, I'll general misconceptions that people tend to have when talking about different solution to store data in the cloud

1.

I am not a tech guy

You don't need to be a tech guy to get your files into the cloud. Many online storage services offer one click installations making access to your files as easy as navigating through your operating system. If you still are having problems you might want to have a look at my online backup videos where I dissect every provider in a detailed video and help you with the setup.

2.

I don't need it

Again, the opposite is true: everybody needs online backup. Hard drives tend to fail every 0.3 seconds in the US. Any time, your hard drive can be among them. So the earlier you start with uploading your files to the cloud the sooner you protect yourself from data loss. Losing your data is a painful experience that I do not wish my worst enemies.

3.

It doesn't work

I have heard that many times. Online storage services are not reliable, they do not work and they are slow. But the opposite is true. Faster servers and especially faster Internet connections have allowed online backup services to blossom. 10 years ago, yes, it was a pain to get your files backed up. But nowadays this is not an excuse for letting your data sit on your local hard drive.

4.

Online Storage in insecure

Thanks to sophisticated encryption methods service providers do offer a high level of security for sensitive files. The best providers will allow you to encrypt your files 1st locally on your hard drive and then send those files via SSL to their servers. That way only you can see your files with your private encryption key. Having your files in the cloud also protects your data from possible thefts or even house fires.

5.

Online storage means your data is safe

Many people think that's if they store their data online that everything is safe, that's they do not need any more backups or other copies of their files. But that is not true. I'm a strong advocate for having multiple backups. You should have at least one local backup of all your files and one off-site backup we restore important files. Never ever rely on a single backup.

6.

Online storage is expensive

Online storage and disk space has become very cheap over the last decade. Nowadays if you buy a new hard drive you pay way less than $.10 per gigabyte. Therefore, prices for online storage and backup have fallen significantly. That's why it is possible to get online storage for as low as $5 per month. So for a cafè latte at Starbucks you can store virtually all your files in the cloud.

7.

Online storage takes a long time

Online storage can take a long time if your Internet connection is pretty slow, however, there are providers which offer seated backups that allow you to send in a hard drive and the company will take care of the rest. So in a couple of days your backup is completely set up and your files are stored online.

8.

All online storage services are the same

Yes, it is true that there are many similar features that online storage services offer. However, there are huge differences in price and quality. Some online backup provider might say that it gives you free synchronization space but it can be that's this only works sluggish. Fortunately, many services offer a free trial so that you can review the features that are most important to you and then decide whether you want to sign up for a paid subscription.

9.

Synchronization is Online Storage

Also, it is important to understand that synchronization does not equal online storage. Some providers do offer file sync while others don't. If you need file synchronization you have to look carefully at the individual specs of the providers. I have crafted a comparison table where you can have a look if the provider of your choice offers file sync or not.

10.

Online Storage is Online Backup

It is important to understand that online storage does not equal online backup. I have talked about this issue before that some people confuse those terms. Online storage is more on file-based while online backup is more of an overall approach to securing your hard drive. Obviously, you can use both for backup but services which offer online storage tend to be a little more expensive than services that offer backup. So you have to choose wisely what kind of files you need and what kind of storage system might be the best for you.