Online File Storage Recommendations

[TheFez]

Hi All,

I am looking for an online file storage service that basically functions simply as a "disk drive in the cloud" that I can access from any machine.

I am less concerned with features like automated backup, collaboration, syncing and other stuff.

I want to be able to save documents from a number of computers [nominally my own desktops (2) and laptop (1) but conceivably from any machine I might be working on].

My option is to lug around an external drive.

I am guessing I need a lot of storage (100GB+) ... so something with low costs for high capacity.

I see plenty of services like DropBox, Carbonite, Mozy, JustCloud, etc. etc. but I am looking for something simple and they sound too feature rich. I worry that programs running in the background just slow my machine down and I don't want to b e required to save cloud files locally. Has anybody try ZipCloud or something like that for example?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[ANDS!]

Google Drive? 5 bucks a month for 100GB of storage. For all the hand-wringing over Googles privacy flaps, I'd still pick the name I know beyond any of the others.

[Eigen]

For what you're looking for you might consider a good NAS solution. Hook it up at home/in your office, and access it remotely.

Gives you lots of space and the control of a simple external drive, but networked.

[wheninhell]

I use SugarSync and just use the Magic Briefcase as my hard drive and save everything to it. It works well for my purposes.

[michigan girl]

I use Microsoft's SkyDrive to store all my files. So far, I love it. It's like using your Windows Desktop in a cloud. You don't need a Hotmail/Live account.

[TheFez]

Thanks to all who posted. I decided to go with Go Daddy and their online file storage service. It's less than $30 a year for 100 GB, and has everything I needed. The drive map feature allows you to use the web storage exactly like any other drive on your computer - it shows up in Windows explorer, or when using applications as any other drive. Compared to SkyDrive, or DropBox, or Google Drive, etc. it seemed cheaper and more "transparent".

Edited July 4, 2012 by TheFez

[lewin]

I use SpiderOak because they seem to have a better privacy policy than others, i.e., encryption is client-side so that they cannot access your files. Other services (like Dropbox) state that they "won't" but they don't say "can't". But the client is definitely less user friendly than dropbox or other drive-mapping solutions.

The odds of something happening are infinitesimal but for data and student grades I can't take any chances. If something happened our institutional review board would literally send a brute squad after me.

Edited July 5, 2012 by lewin00

[TheFez]

Good point lewin, perhaps for very sensitive files I will just use hard media. As for 99.99% of my stuff.... lurkers can have at it and feel free to send suggestions.

[confusedgradadmit]

Hello all,

I've been using Google Drive for all my cloud storage needs, but unfortunately all of the major citation managers (RefWorks and such) don't have any kind of integration. If there any product out there that is able to work with Google Drive? I'd really hate to have to store all my papers locally, as I have a desktop, laptop, and smartphone that I'd like to be able to access them on.