Data loss can be devastating to a business, with consequences ranging from lost money, time, and productivity, to the potential for bankruptcy. With more companies allowing employees to work from home computers or mobile devices, it’s essential to have a secure, flexible backup solution for your data.
Where onsite storage infrastructures can easily cost thousands in upfront investments, and hundreds more for ongoing maintenance, cloud storage and backup offers greater security and flexibility for less.
Box.com
This cloud storage and collaboration platform is designed specifically for busy professionals. It’s a rich, full-featured service with multi-tiered business solutions that’s easy to use, easy to integrate, and easy to share.
Box online storage comes with full desktop integration, linked file sharing, password protection, multiple collaboration tools, custom branding for businesses, and mobile compatibility. The platform can also be integrated with Google Apps for Business, SalesForce CRM, and other popular business programs.
Business plans for Box start at $15 per month, a level that supports from 15 to 300 users and comes with 1,000 GB of storage.
Microsoft SkyDrive
In addition to Office 365, Microsoft offers this cloud solution for backup, storage, and further collaboration and accessibility. Microsoft SkyDrive is a flexible storage solution that’s reasonably affordable, and integrates fully with all Microsoft products—in fact, anyone who has a Microsoft account through other services like Outlook, Hotmail, and even Xbox Live is automatically given a free personal SkyDrive account.
SkyDrive storage lets you sync multiple devices to back up automatically to the cloud. You can save any file from your PC, laptop, smartphone, or tablet to SkyDrive, and access it from any of your synced devices. You can also reproduce the interface from one device on another—for example, you can access your PC desktop from your tablet.
Another big plus for SkyDrive is that it’s not proprietary. The platform works with Windows, Android, and iOS through apps, and even Blackberry devices with a Web interface. And with SkyDrive, you can use MS Office programs like Word and Excel, even if you don’t have them installed on your machine.
SkyDrive is free for up to 7 GB of storage, and paid plans start at $10 per year (not month) for 20 GB.