Where they fall short as a backup is in a couple of key areas. They also make it easy to share files by inviting someone to access a folder or sending them a link. Services like OneDrive and Dropbox are considered cloud storage services, and their purpose is to save a copy of your files online which can be synced between your devices, so you can access them anywhere. Cloud Storage Solutions (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.) Just because you can automatically send a copy of a photo from your phone to OneDrive or sync your computer with Dropbox to copy and store your files, doesn’t make these services a proper backup and recovery solution.įollowing are the key differences between cloud storage and cloud backup solutions. What’s the Difference Between Cloud “Storage” and Cloud “Backup?” It deleted all the photos that phone had taken from iCloud automatically.

One iPhone user who thought her photos were safely saved in iCloud, didn’t realize she needed to sign out of iCloud on her iPhone before doing a factory reset when upgrading to a new one. ICloud users are also familiar with the problems that can happen when mistaking a cloud storage service for a cloud backup service. The sync client crashed and he rebooted as anyone would typically do, only to find out months later that all his files had been deleted from Dropbox and were unrecoverable because it only retained files in the recycle bin for 30 days. One file loss story from the site Lifehacker illustrates a key problem with using file storage services for your backups.Ī person that was trying to save space on his hard drive turned on the “selective sync” option in Dropbox, which kept the files in Dropbox instead of saving them on his hard drive too. Pros, aren’t using cloud storage services for your backup, but instead are using programs specifically designed for backup and recovery, like Datto and Replibit. When you sign up for a managed backup service, you’ll notice that technology professionals, like Texas I.T. While they both handle your digital assets and keep them stored in a cloud environment, their purposes are very different, and not understanding that can result in data loss. There are distinct differences between file storage/sharing solutions and backup/recovery solutions. However, one mistake people make when using them is thinking that they’re the same thing as a cloud backup. Those services make it easy to keep documents all in one place, sync them between your devices, and share them through a link. Many people use cloud file sharing and storage services like Dropbox and OneDrive.

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