Here’s a quick snapshot into my life – I have an Android smartphone and regularly swop to review phones which run on Windows, iOS and Android operating systems. I have an iPad tablet (and also switch to review units regularly) as well as a Windows laptop and swop to my PC at work. When I’m keen to game or work on visual elements I’ve been known to hijack my brother’s desktop PC because his set up blows any of mine out of the water.
I’m jumping between devices faster than Kardashians jump between endorsement deals… and it’s a headache.
There are so many times I’m in another province when I realise the document I need is sitting on my work PC or I realise I need a sent mail from one of my 5 email addresses and I have it on my actual phone and not the review unit I’m testing out. I also recently read an interesting article in Spliced Magazine by Amanda Stone. In it Amanda recounted how her laptop was stolen in Europe during a work trip and she was left with none of her documents or the paperwork she required for the job. It’s a problem so many have come across.
So what’s the solution?
Cloud computing have become the go to words of late. But I’ll be honest; I’ve always been extremely concerned about the safety of my documents and information. While I’ve used Dropbox and loaded items to Google Drive I’ve never made the commitment to load it ALL up. The idea of “free” storage makes me nervous. Nothing is ever really “free” and I’m just not all that sure that my data is truly secure.
So I continued to fight the data headaches until I came across a miracle pill – Cloud on Demand. It’s a local South African company offering cloud storage facilities for multiplatform use (so no matter the operating system or the host of devices, they’re set up to load it up). It’s basically iCloud or Dropbox but on steroids. The backup service offered by Cloud on Demand is rather inclusive:
For starters (and this one we really like), your data is stored on a local repository. Remember the news scandal involving the CIA hacking phone calls and collecting data without people’s knowledge? Well, I’m a conspiracy theorist and have no doubt that big conglomerates offering “free storage” on international repositories aren’t going to be too concerned about collecting data in a similar manner and selling it to advertisers and the like. By storing information locally, Cloud on Demand ensures the likes of the CIA can’t get access to your precious private files.
With Cloud on Demand‘s backup service you can also back up key settings so you never have to set up emails on a new device again and also choose select folders and files to get backed up, which can save time and money. The Cloud has the ability to retain a full history archive so if you need that brilliant idea you recorded in Word in 2009 – if you’ve backed it up you can still pull it.
As a freelance writer and small business owner this is ideal for me.
I’ve got safe and secure cloud storage but it is also affordable, which is a big one when you’re trying to start up a business. The service starts at R70 per user per month. The Cloud storage comes in two sizes, 20GB and 50GB. However, the real clincher is that you can add storage per GB as you need it. So as my workload increases I can grow my storage with it, without having to fork out for a much larger package I may not need.
Cloud on Demand is also really hands on with helping you use their services. Their Twitter profile is filled with handy tips and interesting information. I’ve loaded up the software and am using it for the next few weeks. There will be a full review on the Backup software on Tech Girl soon.
