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What is Dropbox and should I use it?

Dropbox is an online (cloud) based file storage service.

What does that mean?

You can load files and images into your account so you can access them from anywhere. You can set up folders to make everything easy to file and find. And better still, you can share access to specific folders with other people – both inside your organisation and outside.

How much does it cost?

That very much depends on the type of account you have. The Dropbox Basic account is free, but only comes with 2GB of space – that’s not very much, and will fill up fast if you have big files or lots of images. This is really geared around the personal user. There is a top up paid option called Dropbox Plus that gives you 1TB of data.

Dropbox Business is better suited to companies. There are team facilities, varying support packages and more robust security. The prices vary dependent on what you need. You can find out more about current prices here: https://www.dropbox.com/business/pricing

Dropbox Plus and Business also integrates with Office 365, making life even easier for you.

What other features does Dropbox have?

• Unlimited file size – unlike some of the other cloud storage options, there is no individual file size limit
• Offers you the chance to transfer big files to others, without email file size restrictions
• There’s an app so you can use Dropbox from your mobile or tablet device
• You can collaborate with other members of your team on Microsoft Office online documents
• 120 day back up for Business accounts – so you can retrieve any file accidentally deleted
• Cross platform – whether you are a Microsoft user or not, PC or Mac – this works across them all
• Many third party apps integrate with Dropbox – so you could find it will dovetail with software you already use

What else should I know before deciding?

If you are already an Office 365 user, you have access to Microsoft’s OneDrive, with 1TB of storage, for no additional charge. OneDrive is effectively Microsoft’s version of Dropbox, although they do offer different tools.

OneDrive is also automatically set up and integrated with the latest version of Windows as well as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Whilst Dropbox uses 256-bit encryption (that’s techie speak for good security protection), there have been a number of security breaches, so it’s not Fort Knox! However, there are additional options you can put in place to protect your information still further. 

Dropbox, or any cloud storage for that matter, is not a replacement for a robust back up system, so if that’s what you need, please call us for advice.

And on that note, if you’re still struggling to decide if Dropbox is right for you, give us a call on 01784 437 123 and we can advise you on the best choice for your business.