Storage as a Service: Hot Trends Fighting for Your 5 bucks

I’m starting to wonder why own a file server anymore?

With mainstream applications going to the cloud, such as hosted email, CRM, and collaboration ~~software~~ services, the next big ticket item is storage solutions.

As always, you have to define what you want first. Do you need the following:

one shot backup
continuous file sync
share files via links, instead of attachments
integration with Google Apps and/or Salesforce.com
content collaboration, version control, and trying to get rid of your Microsoft SharePoint implementation

Here are some of the key features you need to look for:

do they offer a free account?
file max size, and total storage size
integration with Google Apps or Salesforce.com
remote and mobile access
public and private file sharing
continuous file sync
scheduled backups (of course!), both full and differential
web interface and/or drag and drop interface
support for Windows client, Apple client, iGoogle Gadget
SSL encryption, password protection, multi-level security

The big factor is performance. Most home high speed lines have lightning download speeds but crippled upload speeds.

In an ever changing competitive niche industry, I’ll try to summarize some scenarios. This list is a moving target. Prices range from Free (free is good), and between $4.99 to $9.95 per month. (Business or Enterprise level are much more expensive)

If you are a Hotmail or Live user

Consider using Windows Live Skydrive with 50Mb file sizes max and 25Gb total storage. This service works well with the exception of hosting your videos, which is generally larger than 50Mb!

If you just want a one shot backup

Acronis Online Backup offers 250GB for $5/mo, so it’s not a bad deal to host your “ghosted image” or a complete set of your data files which may include documents, music, photos and videos.

Another honorable mention is ASUS with 500GB (free for the first year when you buy a netbook or notebook), though performance has been a problem in the past.

If you want integration to Google Apps and Salesforce

So far, Box.net is the winner but expect competition very soon. You’ll also need 3 accounts for a Business plan at $15/user/mo for $15 Gb/user. For Saleforce.com integration, you’ll need to speak to a salesperson to get a quote.

If you own your own servers

Though technically not a true cloud solution, but if you own your own file servers, consider using Expandrive as it uses SFTP and not FTP. The end user should not care where the files are stored.