When it comes to backing up our life of pictures, videos, documents, notes and all that's in between, the cloud has made this process extremely efficient. We are now living in the world of big data and the cloud has made it possible for us to function within this world all through a pocket sized device we call our smart phone. Companies such as dropbox paved the way for us to be able to share our life with our friends, family, co-workers, associates and anyone else that we deemed worthy. Then shortly after other followed suit. Now every phone, computer & tablet come standard with the option to back our information up for a small monthly/annual fee.
The Cloud is not only for sharing
With cloud platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive, Apple iCloud and others we now have the ability to store our file on a virtual drive which we can then access from anywhere in the world as long as we have an internet connection. This has natural become the secondary purpose of cloud storage outside of the primary purpose of sharing large files between multiple parties online. Backing up our information to a physical hard drive is still a thing, but we have become a society of wanting our information readily available at all times. No matter where we are, the cloud makes this possible.
Not all clouds are created equal
Each one of the cloud storage platforms specialize in a specific area so each one has its strengths and weakness. There are cloud platforms specifically to be used with specific operating systems such as Apple or Samsung. Other cloud platforms are made specifically for business purposes such as team shared folders like Dropbox for business or Microsoft One Drive for business. Also depending on the use of your cloud service the cost varies as well. For example, cloud storage for your phone can cost you less than $5/month where are cloud storage for your business many easily run you $100's/month.