Cloud data storage or USB or external SSD drive?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Curious as to how people store data. Do you use cloud storage such as drop box or Google drive? Or like me still using USB flash drives. External SSD drives cost too much if you ask me. Also, I just use my internal hard drive for storage.

[Tabs]

Cloud. Enterprise level redundancy and uptime for the low, low price of free? Sold.

Plus, many of them are already set up so you can access it from just about any computer and phones. Add to the built-in ability to share files on a granular level, and it's basically a no-brainer for me.

I don't have anything so security-sensitive that it needs to be offlined, but even then, most major cloud services now offer two-factor authentication.

The occasional times when I do prefer offline (and usually it's for the reasons of file transfer really), I use a flash drive. I still have a few lying around, but if not, a small stick is like $5 at the local grocery store nowadays.

In fact, I'm seriously considering of moving to a Chromebook for my next laptop.

[rennigade]

I use all 3... "cloud" storage, external hard drive and internal hard drive.

Google and Microsoft offer free online storage. Pretty good amount of space and the cost is free. Also...I wish they would drop the term cloud storage. Its not in the clouds. Your data is being housed on servers in a building somewhere. I guess cloud storage just sounds cool.

I store a lot of blu ray content, along with tv series shows on my external hard drives. Theres several TB's of data...not to mention some of the file sizes are huge so remote storage wouldnt work so well for me.

[Tabs]

I store a lot of blu ray content, along with tv series shows on my external hard drives. Theres several TB's of data...not to mention some of the file sizes are huge so remote storage wouldnt work so well for me.

You probably already know this, but you can always roll your own personal "cloud". All it takes is RAID redundancy and a decent UPS to start out. Even forward it with a domain name if you want to make it look nice and neat

Of course, it's not a cheap way to go relative to a local external hard drive. I guess it's all a matter of what each person needs.

[myrdale]

I've got two external hard drives. I back up my personal files and work files on them. Then I keep them both in my house which doesn't make alot of sense in the case the house burns down. If I ever open a safety deposit box,one would most likely live there

[Leo]

I used both Cloud and an external hard drive for backup.

Only important files goes to Cloud because of Free space limitation.

Important files plus other files is in a fireproof and waterproof external hard drive.