Free solutions available on the cloud for storing and sharing files offer quite a few benefits, and can be explored by businesses wanting to move away from traditional methods of file storage.
Most business organisations today focus on storage that is secure and safe for data communication and for sharing files. Secure transmission enables a select number of users to read, open or modify files, depending on the accessibility permissions. In this manner, only authenticated users are able to access and modify files.
The secure exchange of data normally takes place before or after its transmission on the network by encrypting the information. This is achieved by using multiple algorithms for encryption so that any unauthenticated access can be avoided.
Different ways of file sharing
There are a number of methods for secure file storage and sharing, in which different types of protocols and communication channels are involved. Some of the most popular methods of storing and sharing files electronically are briefly described below.
File transfer protocol (FTP): This is one of the most popular file transfer approaches for corporate, social as well as e-governance applications. FTP involves the transmission and sharing of files with the deployment of an FTP server. Registered or specific users are able to access the files with their credentials.
Peer-to-peer network based sharing: The dissemination and sharing of digital media on peer-to-peer (P2P) networking technology is another very popular and easy way to share files. P2P file sharing enables users to access media file collections including multimedia, e-books, songs, movies or games using a P2P software application, which scans other P2P network linked devices for the content that is needed.
A peer-to-peer network helps applications and devices without a server to connect with each other. In comparison to the client-server model, no central server is required in P2P architecture for handling the requests.
Removable media: This includes the usage of external devices for file sharing without the need for any client-server architecture. Flash drive is a popular external or removal media. Users can copy or upload files into portable storage media from their computers, and then physically send them to where they want the files to be exchanged.
Online and cloud based file sharing: Cloud computing and Web based services are very popular for file sharing on the World Wide Web. These services enable users to store or exchange files on the Internet for personal or corporate applications. The sender can upload the files in different formats to an online portal. The receiver can be provided a unique ID or link of that cloud storage. A range of free cloud storage solutions is available. Cloud computing is simple to access and provides up to 200GB of free storage space that can be used for both personal and corporate storage applications.
Storage of files on the cloud offers several benefits over conventional data storage solutions like disks, storage drives or other storage devices. For example, if the recorded data is compromised in some way, the files stored in devices may be destroyed. Cloud computing based file storage is effective. It can be used as an alternate to traditional file backup and sharing, as it ensures anytime-anywhere availability of data.
| Cloud service | URL |
| WikiSend | wikisend.com |
| Blomp | blomp.com |
| FileBin | filebin.net |
| Degoo | degoo.com |
| Mega | mega.nz |
| Media Fire | mediafire.com |
| Yandex | disk.yandex.com |
| Google Drive | google.com/drive |
| IceDrive | icedrive.net |
| Koofr | koofr.eu |
| Mimedia | mimedia.com |
| Sync | sync.com |
| DropBox | dropbox.com |
| pCloud | pcloud.com |
| OneDrive | onedrive.live.com |
| iCloud | apple.com/in/icloud |
| Synplicity | synplicity.com/en |
| Letsupload | letsupload.io |
| Jumpshare | jumpshare.com |
Two cloud services for secure file sharing
WikiSend
URL: WikiSend.com
Files in multiple formats can be shared on WikiSend at a high speed. The end users need only a Web browser regardless of the device, be it a mobile phone, tab or laptop. With the use of such platforms, cloud based file sharing becomes very easy and effective.
On uploading any file to WikiSend.com, a unique ID is generated for it. Using this ID, any user can download the file. This makes the overall process of file sharing secure and easy to use.
FileBin
URL: FileBin.net
The use of FileBin for uploading and sharing of files is quite easy too. Once a file or set of files is uploaded on the FileBin cloud, a unique URL is generated, which can be shared with the end users.
The receivers of files can access the documents by using any Web browser on any Internet connected device including a smartphone, laptop or a tab.
There are many other cloud based storage and sharing platforms that provide secure uploading and access of files and documents in multiple formats. Files are retained on the cloud and can be accessed directly. These files can be encrypted with passwords so that only authenticated users are able to view or download them.
