Internet Business Examiner

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Dropbox – file sharing simplified

Dropbox vertical logo in blue

Dropbox’s motto is: ‘Your stuff, anywhere

This is no joke, once you sign up for Dropbox you’ll never remember how you stored or shared files or pictures without it. Especially if you use more than one computer or device, travel, or share files/pictures with other people.

Why is Dropbox so cool?

Dropbox the best file management system ever because your files aren’t tied down to a single device, rather you can access your files from any device (computer, tablet or phone) that has internet access. This is because your data is stored both locally on your computer as well as in the ‘cloud’.

This means that you can store your files on multiple devices or computers and any time you update a file in one place, the updates are pushed out and synched to all of the other devices your Dropbox account is linked to via the ‘cloud’.

The Basics

Dropbox is similar in structure to the file system in a computer. You can create as many different folders in your account as you need and by default each folder is private so only you can access it.

However, you have the flexibility to share any file or folder in your Dropbox account with anyone else by either sharing a direct link to the item or, you can choose to make a file or folder public that anyone on the internet can access.

This is a great option if you offer material for download because you don’t have to store the files on your server which can affect your site speed, or if you share pictures with family and friends.

But is it useful?

You can use Dropbox in a number of ways from standard file storage, to sharing pictures with family and friends, to collaborating with team members on a project, to sharing information or proposals with clients and customers.

For mobile users who take pictures, you can sync your phone with Dropbox so any pictures you take with your phone are automatically added to your Dropbox library.

In the online world you can use Dropbox to store files for download after someone purchases your digital product, or as a repository for storing your website backups.

Is Dropbox secure?

You bet it is!

Dropbox uses modern encryption methods to both transfer and store your data including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption.

In other words, Dropbox uses the same security standards as the US Government does for storing Top Secret information.

For added security you can also use a two-step verification at login where you can choose to receive security codes by text message or via a Time-Based One-Time Password (TOTP) app.

But what does it cost?

Dropbox box currently offers 3 different account types, a free account for small scale use and 2 premium accounts for large scale or business use.

The free account gives you 2 GB of space to start and you can earn up to 16 GB of total space by referring others to sign up for Dropbox using a referral code.

When someone signs up for Dropbox through your referral code you each get 500 MB of additional free space so go ahead Click here to sign up for Dropbox using my referral code and we will each receive 500 MB of additional free space.

The next step up is a ‘Pro’ account. There are 3 ‘Pro’ account options with either 100 GB, 200 GB or 500 GB of storage. Pricing starts at $9.99 per month and you get a 17% discount when you pay annually.

The top tier account is a ‘Business’ account which offers unlimited storage along with advanced features for businesses to manage multiple users, provide file recovery and access to priority support. Pricing for ‘Business’ accounts starts at $795 per year for 5 users, each additional user is $125 per year.

The bottom Line:

The beauty of using Dropbox is that you no longer have to worry about carrying around USB flash drives, CD/DVDs or portable hard drives because your files, pictures and data are all at your disposal on any device you use with Dropbox.

With multiple accounts to choose from and unlimited storage potential Dropbox can solve all of your digital storage needs.

Go ahead and sign up for your free Dropbox account today and you’ll never store digital files the same way again.

Dropbox and the Dropbox logo are trademarks of Dropbox, Inc.

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