The online cloud storage war has just exploded with the introduction of Google Drive earlier today. With Google Drive, now all major mobile operating system providers have some form of proprietary cloud storage solution including SkyDrive for Windows Phone 7 and iCloud for iOS along with several others like Dropbox, Box and SugarSync.

Also Read: Google Drive vs Dropbox vs SkyDrive | 5 Best Ways to Keep Documents Online

Both iCloud and Google Drive provide users with 5GB storage space for free whereas SkyDrive provides users with 7GB free space out of the box. SkyDrive initially started out with 25GB free space, but it has now cut down the storage to 7GB. However, if you have been an old user of SkyDrive, you will still be able to claim 25GB of free space.

To reclaim your 25GB of free space in SkyDrive, you will have to login to your account in your browser. Once you do that, you will see a link on the top saying; SkyDrive’s free storage is changing – claim your free 25GB.

Clicking on the link will take you to the manage storage page where you will be given an option to upgrade your storage. Just click on the “Free upgrade” button to increase your storage to 25GB. This option will only be available for a limited time to users who have already used Windows Live SkyDrive in the past. New users will only receive 7GB of free online storage space.

If you are unable to get 25GB in SkyDrive, there are still several other options available including free 50GB space from Box if you are an Android user and up-to 18GB storage in Dropbox from referrals and free space.

Computers that are manufactured nowadays usually come with a large hard disk which provides the user with the ability to store many files on it. However if you are using a desktop PC, you cannot keep your files with you from place to place since desktop PCs lack portability. You may opt for buying an external hard disk drive or a laptop to increase portability. But this option only increases the number of things you have to carry from place to place. There is another way by which users may use to increase portability of their files, especially with increased internet speeds. You can increase your portability by storing files online.

Before choosing a file storage service online, you should check if it is secure and your files will not easily be accessible by unauthorized users. Therefore the service should have an encrypted transmission channel so as to prevent your files from being stolen. You should also check if the file storage service offers automatic synchronizing services especially if your internet connection is lost. You should also check the bandwidth the file storage service requires when you are connected to their servers. If it requires large bandwidth, you won’t be able to use their services at places with weak internet connectivity.

The 5 best ways to keep your documents online are:
1. DropBox: one of its best features is that it allows storage and synchronization of files automatically when you are reconnected to the internet. It also allows mobile access.

2. Boxnet: allows users to arrange their files in an explorer like file structure. One of the best features is that it allows users to share files online using direct links.

3. Mozy: this file sharing website is known for its easy to use interface and allows the backup of many files of different formats on their servers.

4. ADrive : allows users to access their files from anywhere in the world with their cloud service which only requires an internet connection.

5. Elephant drive : this is the service to choose when you want your files to be highly encrypted for better security. They offer different levels of encryption at different prices.

People and businessmen who travel a lot and need a place to store their files are always advised to choose online file storage tools. Other tools are also available online for file storage and online document editing.

==== About the Author ====
Natasha is writer and blogger, tech lover, interested in various technology and internet topics, currently exploring cloud computing technology, cloud storage and virtual private servers.

The worst possible time to make a backup is probably right after a computer crash, but that’s precisely the time when most computer users stop and consider doing so.

For most users backup isn’t a top priority, so they often forget to create regular scheduled backups, in case the worst happens.

However, with the introduction of online backup services, it’s now possible to create and upload backup of your files automatically, the software program runs in the background and uploads all your files onto the server whenever they are saved. This means you have a current and reliable backup to restore from.

There are numerous free online backup services out there, and in this post I will review 4 of the best.

SugarSync

Formerly known as Sharpcast, offers 5GB of online backup space, free for life, it supports automatic file synchronisation which allows you to keep your libraries updated across all your computers. Storage space is upgradable to 10GB if you refer friends, both gaining 500MB each.

Dropbox

Dropbox offers 2GB of free storage space, and is popular amongst computer geeks due to its support for Linux. While 2GB isn’t a lot of storage space, you can upgrade your free account by referring your friends; students get 500MB for each referral, and non-students get 250MB. The max free storage space allowed for students is 16GB and for non students it’s 8GB.

OpenDrive

OpenDrive offers 5GB storage space for free; it has features similar to SugarSync and Dropbox with automatic backups and synchronization abilities. Although it does provide ample space for free account holders, the space is not upgradable by referring friends. I also don’t like the fact that OpenDrive places a watermark on your images if you decide to share them on forums.

Mozy

Mozy is one of the most popular online backup companies out there, and offers 2GB of free storage space. We like the clean interface of Mozy, which is very easy to use. It has bandwidth throttling features to prevent it from clogging up your internet connection.

Out of all of these services, which I have personally tested, SugarSync is my favourite as it has a good 5GB storage space, straight out of the cuff, and is expandable to 10GB which is an impressive amount of storage space.

=== About the Author ===

Guest post written by Abdul Karim, a tech enthusiast, Windows fan and writer for the online backup services website

The Online file storage  battle seems to be heating up. After Box.net increased their free storage space to 5GB, another sync service, SugarSync, has increased their free online storage  space to 5GB.

SugarSync syncs your files across multiple platforms like Windows,  Mac OS X, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. The service provides users with a desktop client which can then be used to sync files to the SugarSync servers.

The new 5GB free accounts will be available to both old and new users. SugarSync also provides a business account which provides users with 30GB space for $4.99 a month. If you do not have a SugarSync account, you can sign up for a free account to get 5GB storage space.

Also Read: 5 Services to Backup and Sync your Files

Online File Storage and collaboration service Box.net has bumped their free storage space to 5GB from 1GB and business storage to 500GB from 15GB. This makes them one of the largest online storage space provider right now.

Also Read: How To Mount Box.net Storage in Windows Explorer

Box.net, one of the online file storage services has increased their free storage space from 1GB to 5GB which will now allow users to store a large amount of files online. They have also announced that they will be increasing their business storage from 15GB to 500GB whilst allowing enterprise users to store unlimited files in the cloud.

Business and enterprise users who have been using services such as SharePoint, Google Docs and Sales Force get an added advantage here. However, for personal users, services like Dropbox which offer 2GB space and additional space for recommendations along with Windows Live SkyDrive which offers 25GB storage space along with Windows Live Mesh which providers users with 5GB sync space are more lucrative offers.

Box.net has built several data-centers to protect data along with also using Amazon’s S3 service promise better security for the files and documents stored with their service. I believe that this additional storage is definitely something which will cheer up users, both personal and business.

If you use Box.net, you might want to read up on how to use it as a local storage space in Windows. You can also access Windows Live SkyDrive from Windows Explorer.

(Source: CNET)

Dropbox is one of my favorite ways to synchronize and backup files, however, the limit on basic account is only 2GB which is pretty less considering that you can easily fill it up with few vacation pictures and videos. You could use the multiple Dropbox account trick to backup more files though.

Also see: Other Online Free Storage Websites and Tools

Dropbox also provides users with an option to invite friends and get 250MB extra storage for every friend of yours who signs up. But did you know that you can also get 250MB of storage space for free by just clicking on the "Get Started" link in your Dropbox account?

If not, go ahead and login to Dropbox and click on the Get Started link to increase your Dropbox storage space by 250 MB, if you don’t have a Dropbox account yet, you can always use my sign up link to add to my quota . Sign up for Free 2GB Dropbox Storage Account.

(h/t Life Hacker)