The Best Cloud Storage – Have you ever experienced difficulties due to wanting to store files online with large data? You can overcome this by utilizing cloud storage, which is widely available on the internet.
The era of cloud computing has started to become a lifestyle today. This can be seen from the many cloud storage services, aka “cloud storage,” that are currently available. Apart from storing files, cloud storage is also the best alternative for sharing files and doing tasks with other people.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that many people are looking for the best cloud storage services for their work and business needs. Therefore, here are 5 of the best cloud storage recommendations that you can use.
The Best Cloud Storage
1. OneDrive – The Best Cloud Storage
OneDrive is a cloud storage service from Microsoft. This is available immediately for Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 users. OneDrive also works on the Web, older versions of Windows, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Xbox apps. You can store various types of files on this service, such as photos, videos, documents, and more.
One of the advantages of this service is its combination with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. When you open one of these programs, you will see various kinds of documents stored on OneDrive in the recent documents list.
2. pCloud – The Best Cloud Storage
This cloud storage originating from Switzerland is suitable if you want to store or send large files. The reason is that pCloud does not provide a specific file size limit for uploading.
You don’t have to worry about losing your data on pCloud. This cloud storage, which was released in September 2013, provides a file versioning option.
For those of you who frequently collaborate with the team on various files, pCloud also provides this feature. You can divide your co-workers into several teams so that the collaboration goes more smoothly.
3. Dropbox – The Best Cloud Storage
Because it has so many features and is simple to use, Dropbox is the most popular cloud storage option. This service can also be accessed from various platforms, such as the web, Mac, Windows, Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, etc.), iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Kindle Fire.
Dropbox lets you store a variety of file formats. There is no limit to the size of files that you can upload, but the larger the file, the longer the upload process will take. Dropbox has a very simple appearance, making it easy for anyone to use.
Get 2GB of free storage when you join up for Dropbox. The Getting Tutorial Started will add an extra 250MB to your download. Then, if you enable the automatic photo upload feature, you will receive an additional 3GB bonus. Additionally, each time you refer a friend to use the Dropbox service, you will receive a bonus of 500MB.
4. iCloud – The Best Cloud Storage
OneDrive is more tailored to Windows users, whereas iCloud is exclusively available to Mac and iOS users.
Users of Mac and iOS devices can automatically use this cloud storage. All of the devices linked to your account will share the same iCloud.
Contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, images, and other data can all be backed up using iCloud. All of that is stored securely on Apple’s online servers.
iCloud users will get 5GB of storage for free. You can add storage up to 50 GB by paying 99 cents per month.
5. Google Drive – The Best Cloud Storage
Google Drive is free for all Google users. As for Android devices, the best cloud storage is already built-in inside them.
The ability to collaborate is one of Google Drive’s benefits. Google users can easily share files in Google Drive at the same time.
How to Keep Data Safe
Each cloud service provider has a method to keep the data stored on their server safe. One of the methods is to replicate data on a different server.
The objective is to foresee data loss if the main server hosting your data experiences issues. Problems may come in the form of sloppy maintenance, disasters, natural disasters, and so on.
Are you familiar with Amazon Web Services, Google, and Windows Azure?
They are an example of a cloud service provider with global government security certification.
The certification involves strict regulatory standards and operational rules. the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), for example.
The AICPA created a set of international service organization reporting standards known as SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 to protect service user data in the cloud.
Organizations that are entrusted with their customers’ sensitive financial information have no margin for error and are required by law to protect data as rigorously as the banking industry.
How to Keep Data Safe from the User Side
Cloud service providers have indeed tried to make their services as good and secure as possible, but what about the data owners themselves?
Sky High Network in its white paper notes 89.6% of organizations have at least one insider threat incident each month.
This can be caused by an organized crime, but usually consists of events where sensitive information was provided to the wrong person.
You should consider implementing a policy that requires users to change passwords periodically.
This includes using a platform that automatically logs accessors out of your system when not in use. Military-grade encryption, limited user permission levels, and regular backups add level of security to data stored in the cloud.
Accounting data in cloud services is most vulnerable when moving between storage servers, as well as your computers or applications.
Cloud storage companies encrypt data during transmission by encoding it in a way that renders it unintelligible unless the receiving system possesses a key that can decode the code.
Most modern cloud-based platforms have a decryption feature built right into the platform.
There are also multi-factor authentication methods, which are customer data protection methods that require users to verify their identity in more than one way.
Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized system access. Often as simple as setting up a cloud account, it can automatically trigger a verification email or text when they try to log in.
Using online and activity monitoring tools can show you who is accessing the system.
Including what they do once they get there. Careful monitoring will help quickly identify and solve security issues when they arise.
For an added layer of protection from unauthorized intrusion, consider an anti-malware tool.
These functionalities are already present in many cloud-based platforms, and data security providers sell them for additional fees.
Is the cloud storage space reliable?
There is a report from Microsoft that says 75% of business professionals rely heavily on cloud services when they are aware of the features it offers.
As a result word of mouth and in the accounting services industry, positive recommendations have a big impact.
How do cloud services operate from a legal perspective?
When accountants are ready to move on and use cloud services, there are a few legal issues to keep in mind.
The AICPA reminds accountants that they are legally and ethically bound to protect their clients’ sensitive and confidential information.
This institution advises accounting firms to be careful when choosing a cloud service vendor.
At the same time, write clauses directly into the service contract that require the vendor to assume responsibility and legal responsibility for data confidentiality.
