However, it's when you use OneDrive as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription that OneDrive comes into its own.

For home users, storage-only is available to 100GB for a monthly fee. OneDrive as a standalone offers 5GB of storage for free, with additional backup options available for home and business users. Microsoft OneDrive is the popular edition to the online Microsoft 365 suite, and while as a standalone product it's worth considering, if you do have Microsoft 365 then it's probably going to be an essential option. Not great value if you don't use Microsoft Office However, as a simple and accessible syncing solution - if that's all you need - Google Drive is one of the best options to consider. Where it falls down is that it can't really compete with Microsoft 365's generous OneDrive storage, let alone Microsoft's office tools. It's easy to use, and the backup and sync feature can be used to backup your files to a USB drive on a PC as well as in the cloud. It's hard to beat Google Drive for its simplicity. Find your files on most desktops or mobile devices Google Drive.Īll versions of Google Drive, personal, pro, or enterprise, come with support for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, as well as video and voice conferencing. Copy files from your computer, smartphone, or memory cards to the cloud. Google Drive offers Backup and Sync for individual users, and it simply does what it says on the tin. It’s hard to beat Google Drive as a basic backup, syncing and sharing solution if you are a small business or a personal user. In general, dedicated file syncing solutions also come with additional tools not just for managing your saved data but also for managing user access and permissions, to allow for file sharing and collaboration (opens in new tab) with stored files. This is especially important due to many office environments now allowing documents to be used collaboratively, but for security purposes correct user permissions need to be in place. However, do note that standalone cloud storage services can be more variable, as while they will sync data from a main folder, they may not also sync to an additional source, such as a USB drive, which can be important for a 3-2-1 Backup (opens in new tab) strategy plan.

While there are general solutions for online storage, syncing has the advantage of updating as your files in real-time, so you always have a current and up-to-date copy of what you need. File syncing is a feature usually included with backup software, in order to make it easier to manage and recover data as and when required. These days file syncing solutions are usually delivered through cloud-services, making it easier to sync, save, and secure your data.

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