NFIB

Free Online Storage
03/ 28/ 2002


The Internet is starting to offer unique capabilities that can make a computer user's life much more streamlined. One in particular is "Online Storage," which functions like a virtual hard drive or Zip drive to store information. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses discusses this valuable Web feature.

* Numerous sites are now offering online storage. Some of the best allow users a certain amount of free storage, with reasonable rates for additional disk space. The advantages:

1) This storage may be more reliable than floppies or Zip disks. The sites use the latest in storage and backup technology, along with the highest encryptation.

2) You or your associates can access the stored information from any computer in the world that connects with the Internet. This means that you can use online storage in place of a hard drive if you're traveling. Just upload the information before you leave on your trip, then connect with the site when you arrive at your destination and download the information onto your computer. Also, your associates can download the information from anywhere they happen to be worldwide, using pre-assigned passwords for select files.

* How fast are information transfers? One online storage site, www.filesanywhere.com, which offers 50 free megabytes (Mb) of storage, has an online calculator for estimating speeds of transfer based on size of file and type of modem. According to the calculator (which is found under the Frequently-Asked-Questions section of the site), a 1 Mb file will transfer in 2 minutes and 26 seconds on a 56k modem. This is certainly a lot slower than saving to a hard drive or Zip disk, but at least you won't have to lug your hard drive with you on a long trip. (I noticed that the web site itself is fairly slow, but well designed and organized.) The same 1Mb file would take only 5 seconds on a T1 line.

* filesanywhere.com allows you to download the latest version of Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. This could help speed the time it takes to upload and download files.

* Other storage services of note: www.docspace.com; www.freedrive.com; freediskspace.com. These offer 20 Mb. storage before charging for additional storage.

* Type in "Online Storage" in your search engine and you'll find quite a few other sites that provide this service. If you're going to use this Web feature frequently, find a site that answers all your needs.

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