It’s not the fastest service, and there are a few minor usability flaws, but that’s all easy to overlook considering the value and security that Sync.com offers. This is helpful in the event of a cybercrime or ransomware attack. To make matters worse, some services offer multiple tiers at different pricing, with different amounts of storage space depending on how much you pay. Private Cloud Storage. What is Cloud Storage and why one needs it? All of these six services offer some form of version control, where you can easily revert to a previous version of a file if you need to. But trying to find the perfect cloud backup solution or cloud providers for a Malaysia-based operation is nowhere near as simple or as straightforward think it’s going to be, at least not at first. FileCloud not only offers businesses all the features you could ever need, extensive controls and flexibiity, but also an extremely affordable price. While all of the major offerings have some level of uptime guarantee, it is worth noting that location is an important factor. The Best Business Cloud Storage and File Sharing Providers for 2020 Scalable cloud storage solves a lot of problems for businesses of all sizes. While it is now easier than ever to set up cloud storage and file sharing solution, the wide range of services and solutions ­­­­can be quite staggering to wade through. That isn’t to say that those services offer the best free cloud storage for small businesses. It is a bit thin on collaboration features and storage size, but worth considering for SMBs looking for solid file storage and recovery solutions. But other forms of tokens exist, including smart cards and biometrics. It’s not as well-rounded as a service like Box, but if you don’t need many integrations, MEGA is a great option. AWS was the first cloud computing and offering infrastructure as a service in 2008 and has never looked back as it launches new services at a breakneck pace and is creating its own compute stack that aims to be more efficient and pass those savings along. Additionally, Sync.com comes with excellent versioning features, which earned it the first-place spot in our best cloud storage for versioning guide. Livedrive for Business has a super-proactive desktop client that initiates backups of the client's PC as soon as it is installed and it's very intuitive to use. Cloud storage services are dime a dozen and most of them offer a tremendous amount of convenience and security for a low price. This capability lets businesses create custom workflows and business processes, often without having to hire contract programmers. That puts the focus on uploading and syncing files more so than downloading them. It offers Smart Sync and Remote Wipe features and an increased focus on collaboration. Here's an enterprise solution that could make sense for small business users. It comes with some productivity apps of its own, too, including Dropbox Paper. It covers the basic needs of small businesses but lacks deeper collaboration, productivity, and integration features. Storage space is now more affordable than ever with prices going down each year. In short, if there’s a platform that your business is currently using, there’s a good chance Box has an integration for it (you can find the full list here). Unlike most competing services, it has a single-user business subscription available, offering 3TB of storage and Dropbox’s powerful business features — such as remote account wipe — for around $20 per month. Standard is expensive at $15 per user per month, and it only comes with a shared 5TB of storage. What it doesn’t provide is third-party integrations, which isn’t possible due to the security model. The “how” of encryption is important, but also the “when.”. The purpose of storage in the cloud is to sync and share files, but business cloud storage providers usually go beyond that. Tresorit is all about keeping your files safe, dealing exclusively with client-side encryption and a zero-knowledge security model. Simply put, a cloud storage provider allows you to easily sync your files across devices and share them with other workers. Zoolz BigMind for Business offers a versatile range of tools and options for online cloud storage and file sharing. Even Microsoft rival Google has built Google Drive Enterprise to incorporate smooth collaboration functionality for Microsoft Office 365. Beyond signing up for a service, businesses and their managers need to know whose cloud they're keeping their data on and where. As long as your business is relatively small and doesn’t need a lot of storage space, you can get by with free cloud storage. Some providers have their own data centers while others actually outsource their storage to another third-party cloud, often Amazon Web Services ($6,415.00 at Amazon) (AWS) or a similar Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) player. Box (for Business) has come a long way on the business front. How to Access the Deep Web and the Dark Net, How to Securely Store Passwords in the Cloud, MP4 Repair: How to Fix Corrupted Video Files in 2019, How to Pick the Best Cloud Storage for Small Business, best free cloud storage for small businesses, The Best 2FA Apps 2020: Locking Down Your Online Accounts, What Is Two-Factor Authentication? External users are only given read-only privileges. Although the fundamentals are the same between the two, business cloud storage usually comes with an expanded feature set, including user management and third-party app integrations. As with many Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business solutions that run primarily in the cloud, business storage applications continue to adapt to serve the changing needs of business users. Furthermore, you can create and edit documents with these tools directly in the Box interface. Many of these people work for small businesses. The easier solution, though, is to just use Boxcryptor, which is also an Egnyte integration. While many the most popular cloud storage solutions, such as Dropbox Business and Box (for Business), offer a rich set of integration options. A service like Tresorit is undoubtedly more secure than, say, G Suite. The other plans, Standard and Advanced, start at a minimum of three users. The external integrations are equally as impressive, including AWS SSO, Gmail, Salesforce and SAP. PCMag Digital Group. In addition to having something you know, it's better to pair it with something you have. It uses top-notch AES-256 encryption for your data, but encryption happens server-side, and Box manages your encryption key by default. Given the tight security, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Tresorit’s privacy practices are equally as stiff. Tresorit is expensive, with the cheapest plan clocking in around $15 per user per month, and that’s with only 1TB of storage per user. Capabilities such as remote wipe or digital rights management can go a long way in limiting how far information can spread outside of the organization, especially when these devices are lost or compromised. However, it does offer a single business subscription, and for the price, it’s tough to beat. text files, video and audio files, pictures, etc.) With fine-tuned permissions and access logs, you can usually track down a problem with a cloud storage solution (at least, you can with our above picks). When making our picks, we factored this functionality in with other integrations. Thankfully, MEGA has a few productivity tools built right into the app. Their right to do so depends on the country in which they are based. When it comes to security, Egnyte has a few unique options. No document editing or collaboration features. Thankfully, most of our picks have features to combat employee risk. As far as integrations go, Dropbox has just about everything, including Asana, Salesforce and Zoom. Adding or removing permissions is an easy affair once they're properly defined. Basically, we checked to ensure that a service provider isn’t looking through the content of your account (such is the case for JustCloud). Many cloud storage and backup providers offer the basics, like data storage, backup, and encryption services. Brings G Suite's ease of collaboration and smarts to Microsoft Office products. Document retention is often a requirement in legal matters as well. Each user can get 1TB of space for only $5 each per month. Although lacking in native productivity tools like OneDrive for Business offers, Box comes with a long list of third-party integrations. Shared data can be stored in folders originated by individuals or in team folders that are created by team leads or administrators (and are accessible to anyone on the team). Dropbox Business comes with many features, but the interface is easy to use. It depends on how sensitive your business’ information is, of course, but security is usually of the utmost importance, no matter if you operate a small business or a massive enterprise. A challenger to Amazon S3 but promising lower cost, faster performance, and no hidden charges. Cloud storage solutions aren’t some form of divine blessing, though. Citrix Content Collaboration is a venerable, business-focused cloud storage solution that has been carefully turned into a burgeoning collaboration platform with a focus on security. Which is the best free cloud storage service in 2020? Per-user per-month pricing is the name of the game, so the more users you have, the higher your total bill. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Free and cheap personal and small business cloud storage services are everywhere. Great desktop and mobile app integration. 1 user, Total Storage: 5TB, For example, it's not unusual or difficult to configure your employees' note-taking apps to automatically drive input to task-tracking apps. However, it stands out with world-class UI design and sharing features, making up for its high cost. If processors based on Arm become the norm in the data center, the industry can thank the gravitational pull of AWS… For security, this comes down to encryption (read our description of encryption). Many SMBs now expect a deeper focus on security from the providers they use. The big three — those being OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive — work well for this purpose. However, Tresorit has few integrations, while G Suite offers a long list of productivity tools out of the box. Still, if security is what you’re after, MEGA provides. While nearly all have premium offerings that provide more space, the free options are usually more … While some of them provide ample storage, others provide value-added features for a higher price. By creating central points of collaboration that don't originate from any one user, it becomes easier to grant and revoke access as well as pass on ownership when an individual leaves the organization or changes divisions. Cloud storage companies usually default to their web clients, which can be accessed on any desktop or mobile browser. 3+ users, Total Storage: unlimited, However, employees and data centers are often weak links in a company's online data security. The logic is fairly simple. Conclusion on The Best Business Cloud Storage and File Sharing Providers for 2020. We will provide more information later in the article about how we picked these cloud storage providers, but for now let’s start by counting down the six best cloud storage options for businesses. Storage per user, Dropbox Business improves on an excellent cloud file storage solution for small to midsize businesses. 1TB of online storage. User count : 10+, Price per user (billed annually), As the Dropbox data breach showed, even the largest companies aren’t above an attack. Read on for more, 10 - 100 users, price per user; For businesses, cloud storage is sometimes referred to as enterprise file sync and share (EFSS). Users can, in many cases, view and edit the same document at the same time. Cloud storage and online backup (or cloud backup, if that’s the term you prefer) are often confused. This means there are now basic requirements for you to even consider spending money on a service. The good news is that, because today's cloud storage solutions are also increasingly available as standalone products, they have been made for easy integration into any existing system. Cloud storage means storing data in a remote location that is accessible from any device. Here we list some of the best cloud storage providers for business. Cloud storage services are great for sharing files with friends and families, keeping documents in sync between all of your devices, and so much more.Free cloud storage is even better!. The standard Business plan, for example, runs $15 per user per month when billed annually, and it comes with unlimited storage, data loss protection and even custom branding. That’s not to say that Dropbox is inherently insecure, just that it sacrifices some security for convenience. You probably already have an account, and it’s easy to teach your employees the ropes (assuming they don’t know them already). Data residency is a factor you should consider if you’re dealing with any sensitive information. Public Cloud Storage. Having a cloud storage solution that can provide these capabilities to users via a software client optimized for their particular operating system (OS), be it Android, iOS, even Windows Phone, is a feature you should look for in a competitive service offering. While there isn't a perfect solution yet, situations where the last user always wins may go away in the near future. Most providers offer pricing that ranges from $5 to $12 per employee per month. Competition in cloud storage services for business is pivoting towards value-added features including no additional charges for egress, and application programming interface (API) requests will be an attractive perk given similar storage costs and capacities. 50GB per employee. For businesses, the reason why is simple: faster uploads and faster downloads means your employees have access to the files they need, well, faster. Single Sign-On (SSO) solves some of this by having one secure password, such as the one used for a Windows Azure Active Directory ($0.50 at Microsoft Azure) or Google account. Moreover, cloud storage can provide some security benefits over local storage (it has some downsides in security, too, which we’ll get to next). We have researched more than 40 of the best cloud storage providers to provide you with our curated list, ranking on aspects such as capacity, price, file size, security and ease of use. The centralized file storage functionality and rock-solid reliability earn this solution our Editors' Choice designation. Storage per user, Storage per user, For small to midsize businesses (SMBs), cloud storage solutions are ideal for covering the needs of remote workers, distributed office locations as well as maintaining secure offsite backups of important files. A Comprehensive List of the Best Free Cloud Storage Providers with Comparison: Know which are the best paid and free online storage companies for personal and business use in 2020. Businesses can restore file versions dating back a year. Upload times are more important, though. In fact, there isn’t a service we’re aware of that offers free storage specifically for businesses. Now that we’ve discussed our six picks for the best business cloud storage, we wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain as to how we made our decisions. Before cloud-computing, individuals stored their personal data on hard drives and memory cards. What was once considered "advanced" data safety features, such as enterprise-grade identity management, redundant storage layers, and encryption both at rest and in transit, are no longer optional. We test the speed of every service we review, noting upload and download times. Unless you exclusively handle your storage through a web application, you’ll usually have access to what you need directly on desktop. Cheap storage isn’t all that sets MEGA apart, though. Artificial intelligence makes accessing recently edited and most important files, folders, and projects quicker and more intuitive. Planning is the key. He can be reached at, Gadjo C. Sevilla is Analyst, Business for PCMag. The right cloud storage provider can serve as a hub for all of your business operations. The following is a detailed list of five cloud storage providers that are superior to other systems. For instance, Microsoft OneDrive for Business syncs with the Team sites that are part of the popular Microsoft SharePoint ($5.00 Per User Per Month at Microsoft365 for Business) collaboration platform, while Box (for Business) offers a fully functional web client with drag-and-drop support. Read on for more, 50+ users, Amazon Web Services. Gadjo’s work has appeared globally in various print and online publications including MacWorld Canada, PCWorld Canada, ITBusiness.ca, WhatsYourTech.ca, The Calgary Herald, The Toronto Star, and Metro News. It has Outlook integration, too, though unfortunately skips past any other integrations. That way, decisions made in meetings are automatically reflected in your project management toolkit. It should go without saying, but speed is important when choosing a cloud storage service. Some solutions offer a highly granular hierarchy of permissions. Integration-oriented APIs help reduce the barrier to making apps work together, especially when your IT staff has some development talent. Considering all of the features and benefits for a businesses' current and future needs will make determining the best business cloud storage and file-sharing solution easier. Some products offer these features out of the box while others use third-party offerings to close this gap, such as Microsoft Windows Intune ($6.00 at Microsoft Azure) . Locking data away doesn't end with just passwords, either. Cloud Storage for Small Business Cloud-based file sharing for businesses is a becoming a rapidly popularizing method of file-storage and sharing. Intuitive and innovative web and desktop clients. It even has a built-in task management feature, and although it’s not as useful as Monday.com or Asana, it’s still usable for basic task management. Improved user interface and user administration features. Employees are, unfortunately, often a great risk to businesses, too, and cloud sharing and syncing can sometimes further that risk. That said, Sync.com is an attractive, secure alternative, and unlike Tresorit, Sync isn’t very expensive. They may be available for free or on a paid basis. Many cloud storage and backup providers offer a free plan with limited storage capacity. Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage aims to match the functionality and storage performance of Amazon S3, but at a much lower cost with no ingress and egress charges and with quicker upload and download times. Governments can legally request information stored in a cloud, and it is up to the cloud service to deny access. Collaboration and document creation is limited to Microsoft Office documents. Striking a balance between usability, security, and customization ultimately needs to be driven by business requirements. According to GlobalWorkPlaceAnalytics.com, at least 50 percent of the US workforce is set up for remote work. Many of them, actually. Box makes it simple to get around your account with the web application. Seamless backup controls and functionality. To sum up, all the above-mentioned are the best free cloud storage providers for free to upload your videos, photos, files for small business owners and individuals. The Best Business Cloud Storage and File Sharing Providers for 2020. There’s at-rest encryption, which happens either client-side or server-side. Not only are they are literally dozens and dozens of different options available to pick and choose from in the cloud storage … With this setup, Egnyte allows users to gain the benefits of less secure services, such as a long list of integrations, with an option to encrypt sensitive data, if necessary. As most business owners know, though, employees are often the largest security threat. Mobile phones, or especially prepared USB fobs, are typically the default option as the secondary authentication source. Client-side encryption is usually a better option, and thankfully Egnyte offers an option for that. In addition to listing our six top picks, we will also share some information in this article about what you should look for in a storage provider, no matter if it’s small business cloud storage or a solution targeted toward enterprise applications. If it weren’t for the limitations imposed by Tresorit’s security, it’d easily be at the top of this list. The web interface is clean but surprisingly rife with options, making things like sharing or passing documents through Slack simple (Dropbox even earned a spot in our best cloud storage for Slack guide). On top of integrations, features like SSO are important, too. Box offers support for apps like Salesforce, Microsoft Teams and Trello, too. User count : 100+. Using cloud storage these days has moved beyond personal use and has become one of those personal technologies adapted for business purposes. Some, including Egnyte and Box, include integrations with third-party services like Slack and Trello, making them much more than simply a storage solution. Your files are encrypted server-side, with a SSL/TLS layer protecting them in transit. You can learn more in our Sync.com Business review or sign up for an account with a 30-day money-back guarantee. 1TB + 10GB per employee. We pulled a few providers from our best cloud storage guide, but unfortunately you can’t just take a good personal cloud storage service and expect it to hold up in a business setting. When it comes to cloud services and software-as-a-service (SaaS), we're all familiar with the usual cloud providers. These online servers can either be public or private, but many cloud storage providers use public cloud storage to host users’ data files. In most cases, you can use any free personal service to easily share files and keep important documents in the cloud.