The Wonders of Dropbox
This blog entry was posted on: 21 September 2011.
Many free file storage solutions exist online but few are as polished and user-friendly as the mighty Dropbox. If you often transport data using a portable storage device like a USB disk, you might find there is a better (and safer) way to syncronise files across multiple computers.
Or perhaps you wish to add an additional security layer to your backup routine? Storing files off-site is highly recommended if you’re only using local storage. And even if you don’t already take regular backups, Dropbox could be just the thing you are looking for. With a neat drag and drop utility, you can instantly backup files “to the cloud” directly from your computer desktop.
This desktop uplink facility installs a folder on the computer desktop, which then links to your Web-based Dropbox account. As soon as a file is dropped into the folder, it will be replicated online and be accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection.
In addition, it is possible to syncronise files using Selective Sync, where you can specify individual folders to mirror. The end result is up-to-date files and increased security, not to mention ease of use.
Sharing files with other users is also made extremely easy, and if hard disk space is at a premium or data too large to send via e-mail, Dropbox is the answer.
The free version provides 2GB of storage space as standard, which is plenty for general office or everyday use. However, if you require greater capacity, a number of commercial upgrades are available and suitable for storing data such as images and video.
Dropbox is available for Windows, Apple and Linux, plus a variety of mobile platforms, including Android, iPhone/iPad and Blackberry, although you may wish to just use the online file uploader.
Whatever the intended use, Dropbox could change the way you work with files. Try it today and see for yourself. We highly recommend it!