Backing up documents from your computer’s hard drive has always been an important part of any computer maintenance schedule.  But whereas before the best option was to make backups on removable media, there is a new option for backing up your data that can now also make it accessible via the World Wide Web.  Doing so keeps it safe from loss due to hard drive failure, physical damage, virus attack, or accidental deletion. Of course, it's also a defense line against most prevalent threat to mobile computing: theft.  Storing your personal and business documents online is quickly becoming a popular option and part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Not only does this keep the data in a space that is unaffected by the plight of hardware, but it allows users to remote control some data, including access to that data.

Web 2.0

Even if the term has become cliche by now, Web 2.0 is still a popular label for the development of web-based applications that promote the interactive nature on the Internet. It sounds techy, but it's not.  Web 2.0 simply represents a mode of doing things online that were once done locally, on individual computers.  The term describes ubiquitous entities like social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  But it also includes interactive information sharing networks, such as Wikipedia, and video sharing services like YouTube. Needless to say, It has also changed the way we conduct business and manage our day-to-day activities. Storing data virtually is just one of the ways we are integrating Web 2.0 into our daily lives.

Virtual Space Storage Options

So what's involved with online or "Cloud" storage?  The gist is this.  Space has become relatively cheap, so lots of companies are essentially renting it out.  At first the target for these rentals were businesses that needed to safeguard their customer and transaction data, but now everybody from a fortune 500 company to an ordinary PC users can get in on the space.  To use it, you just have to make an account with the company.  They you're given options to upload your data into an online holding area, secured and dedicated to your account.

This sounds relatively simple and for the most part it, it is.  Extra perks of these accounts reflect the need for people to not just store their data though, but to have it in constant access, being synced across machines and manageable from both online and computer-based interfaces.

What about Price? Almost every service offers free space, usually an introductory level in the realm of 2GB.  Users can make an account and implement this space with whatever they want.  But 2GB is space that can go fast - especially when you're talking about hundreds (thousands) of music files and/or video files.  So the business model is this: extra space offered in price tiers.

Below is a list of the major players in the cloud-storage game.  Use this as a reference to compare the different services and get a brief on what they offer.

Independent Storage Companies

Mozy is one of the most popular online data backup applications on the Web. As a paid virtual space storage option, it offers both personal and business packages, though its main focus is on the latter. The features of Mozy include automatic updating, encryption, and “smart service” which only updates files that have been newly created and changed, thereby offering faster uploading speeds and times.  Mozy offers packages as subscriptions; users pay for storage on a month to month basis.

SPACE FOR FREE: variable

MARKETING: geared toward large-scale backup for businesses with a focus on security

THE SUM UP: multi-computer and server sync; local interface

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Dropbox

Dropbox offers both free and paid file sharing and storage options to its users and is known for its user-friendly interface. It allows users to move files they want backed-up by placing them in a simple folder. With up to 2 GB of free space for personal users, it is a good option for backing up important personal files and documents, or a great option for students. It also has several paid packages for those who are looking for more storage space.  Dropbox can be used on varying scales, providing auto-sync storage for businesses and personal users, but in general, it's aimed at individuals who want to simply protect and coordinate their data across platforms, like a desktop and a laptop. 

SPACE FOR FREE: 2GB (+ extra space upon referrals)

MARKETING: marketed on user-friendlyness

THE SUM UP: multi-computer sync; online interface

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Carbonite

Carbonite is an unlimited space virtual backup option that is available on yearly subscriptions. It works by installing a program onto your PC that runs in the background, automatically updating your remote backup account without you having to remember to do it. It uses an interface that completely integrates with your PC’s operating system, making it simple to use. It also offers the same security that many banks use, making it a secure option for businesses and personal documents.  Like Mozy, Carbonite offers both personal and business subscriptions, and it's primary goal is to provide wide-scale backup for businesses, including data on computers and servers.

SPACE FOR FREE: variable

MARKETING: marketed on its security and user-friendlyness for small businesses.

INTERFACE: online and local interface

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Box.com

Not to be confused with DropBox, Box is a storage facility that's keyed on group collaboration.  Primarily marketed to businesses, Box provides not only storage space, but a host of online interfaces that let groups make and edit documents in real time, a process that's aimed at reducing common problems like duplicates and inaccurate updating.  Its pro service even offers statistical tracking of certain features to let an admin monitor specified activities.  Like all of the other services, Box is open to both personal users and businesses, and offers discounted services for individuals that don't include the more advanced tools.

SPACE FOR FREE: variable

MARKETING: marketed on its ability to encourage and simplify group collaboration

INTERFACE: online and local interface

Storage Solutions from the Major Computing Players

The idea is simple; if you're a major brand that has a user-base already, why not offer those users storage space?  The different heavy hitters in this list offer a wide range of storage services, but each is customized in some way to encourage brand loyalty, i.e. they offer storage and sync options that are tied to major features associated with the brand. 

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SkyDrive

Offered free to anyone with a Microsoft Live account, SkyDrive allows users to store up to 25GB of data for free. Documents can stored as either private, shared or public documents making it a means of collaboration for group projects.  In general, it's good that it's so much free space, but users should note that it does not do dynamic syncing of files.  This means that you put files in and can download them whenever you want; but SkyDrive doesn't automatically update files whenever they change; you have to do that manually.  This being said, the big draw of SkyDrive is free access to a limited-feature version of Microsoft Word and Excel.  While users may not be able to do everything online that they could on a licensed computer version, it does allow anyone to create .docx and .xlsx files.

SPACE FOR FREE: 25 GB

MARKETING: retro-actively available to any Hotmail user; marketed on its large amount of free space

INTERFACE: online interface

BRANDING: lets members create (specialized) Word and Excel files online without having to purchase MS Office

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Google Docs

Google offers a number of useful applications to anyone that has a free account with them, including Google Docs. This is another option for accessing files remotely and sharing them from any location.  The Google Docs service is part of your Google account - the same account you set up if you make a Gmail account.  Most people are familiar with Google Docs, and it certainly represents the essential cloud-based entity in lots of people's eyes.  Its documents are user-friendly but proprietary.  That means that Google encourages users to use Google Docs and Gmail as exclusively as possible for word processing and spreadsheet making.  All in all, Google provides several applications that can be used and linked together but that are, in their interfaces, separate.  Google Docs stores documents, PDFs and spreadsheets.  Gmail, of course, holds email and contact lists; and with the purchase of Picasa, Google integrated a photo storage and management service.

SPACE FOR FREE: Dynamic

MARKETING: retro-actively available to any Google account holder; offers office facilities for individual users more than businesses, including features for sharing and collaboration.

SUM UP: proprietary GoogleDocs file types encourage users to keep all documents with Google, no multi-computer sync.

Google Drive

Google Drive is the expected entry into the cloud-space industry by Google.  Unlike the Gmail and Google Docs facilities, Google Drive works more like the other rental spaces, offering 5GB for free and being retroactively available to any Google account holder.  Unlike GDocs, Gmail, and Picasa - which each deal with specific file types - the Google Drive holds anything and everything.  You can upload any type of file and have it accessible within your Google account anywhere in the world. Google Drive is in many ways an extension of the GoogleDocs idea, or at least an improved version of it.  When users opt to implement it, all of their Google Docs are placed inside and the Google Drive becomes the new centralized hub for all of a user's data.  It also comes with a local program, software that helps users sync data between their computer and their Google account.  When this program is installed, it places a syncing folder on the user's computer.  Like the Dropbox folder mentioned above, all items in this folder are automatically synced between the Google account and any registered computers that have the software. 

SPACE FOR FREE: 5GB

MARKETING: streamlined and centralized place to store all data, access email, create and manage documents

INTERFACE: online and local interfaces

BRANDING: aimed at getting users to make Google their online hub; integrates with all Google Apps, including the G+ social network.

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Amazon Cloud Drive

Amazon's answer to cloud storage is a pay-per-tier storage solution that is retroactively available to anyone with an Amazon account.  In addition to free space and paid space, Amazon Cloud markets its coordination with other Amazon features.  For example, since Amazon has become a music and video store, offering online downloads, Amazon Cloud will auto store and backup digital purchases.  It also offers features designed to keep users on Amazon.com, such as an in-browser media player that will let users play their backed-up music without having to download a separate application.

SPACE FOR FREE: 5GB

MARKETING: easy access to Amazon.com services, including Amazon cloud player.

INTERFACE: online interface

BRANDING: aimed at encouraging users to make Amazon their retail hub online and to stay on the site for convenience

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Apple iCloud

The iCloud features aren't all that new; it's essentially a revamping of the Apple MobileMe service, a backup and sync account whereby users of Apple products could store information and share it between computers and phones.  iCloud was developed to coincide with the massive rise in the use of Apple mobile devices, capitalizing on the fact that many people may have two or more of these, including iPods, iPads, iPhones and MacBooks.  iCloud has more streamlined features than MobileMe and users of the latter can incorporate their stuff into the new service which includes a live sync that will automatically update videos, iTunes music and images across devices without having to do any manual downloading.  Additionally, iCloud is in the business of storing users' data, offering a 5GB free tier to all Apple account holders as well as optional storage tiers for more space.

SPACE FOR FREE: 5GB

MARKETING: automatic sync across all apple devices with limited sync to Windows-based PCs. 

INTERFACE: online and local interfaces

BRANDING: aimed at making a uniform connection between Apple devices and to auto-protect Apple purchases, such as media purchased in iTunes.