I’m not usually a fan of storing files in places that aren’t completely under my control. I guess I’m too paranoid for it. However, I’ve been using an online storage service called Dropbox for a couple of months now and I really really like it. It’s drop dead simple to use, quick, and is very secure. Best of all, they have a free account that offers 2GB of storage (with a 250MB bonus if you use my link at the end of this post!).

Online storage is nothing new. I’ve tried a bunch of different ones including iDisk which is part of Apple’s MobileMe. I had a problem about a year ago where the sync got jacked up and I lost a bunch of files. That kind of soured me on Apple’s product specifically. Especially because I was paying for it. Seems like they should have bugs like that worked out.

My online storage views changed when I read a review about Dropbox a few months ago and decided to give it a shot. It’s been working like a charm ever since and I’m quickly getting to a point where I’m not sure I’d want to live without it.

A couple of really cool things about it. First, your files get sync’d to a number of locations automatically. This includes my local machine (a MacBook Pro), iPhone and now my iPad. What’s more, they also have a web version where I can access my files securely through a web browser. So far I haven’t noticed any bandwidth or performance issues and it just runs in the background.

Second, they’ve got a sweet sharing feature that is super simple. I needed to send my mom some files securely month or so ago that were too big for email. I set up a folder for my her in my Dropbox account, uploaded the files to it, and shared the folder with her. She received a notification of files waiting for her, signed up for an account and was able to access it with no problem. It was easy enough for her to figure out without my help, so you KNOW it’s easy.

I’ve also used it to send files to users who were behind firewalls with strict rules in place for receiving email and particularly attachments. Dropbox has worked with these strict environments every time.

As for security, one of my big concerns to begin with, here’s how Dropbox address security (taken directly from their site):

Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

• Shared folders are viewable only by people you invite.
• All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL).
• All files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password.
• Dropbox website and client software have been hardened against attacks from hackers.
• Dropbox employees are not able to view any user’s files.
• Online access to your files requires your username and password.
• Public files are only viewable by people who have a link to the file(s). Public folders are not browsable or searchable.

That pretty much alleviates my concerns. There’s as much chance of someone stealing my laptop and getting access to everything as there is my files getting hacked on Dropbox.

Ever since reading a JohnChow.com article about moving things into the cloud so you’re not dependent on a local desktop or laptop, I’ve been trying to put together the tools I need to make that happen. Ideally, I want to store as little as possible on a laptop or desktop and be able to access my critical systems from any place in the world that has Internet access and a computer available. I’m working on a little series I’d like to post here on Blueverse.com in the next month showing exactly how I’m doing it.

This is where we can help each other out. I’m trying to maximize my free space on Dropbox. They offer 250MB every time you refer someone. The great part is, the person signing up also gets an extra 250MB of space. I need some people to sign up through my link here: Dropbox Sign-Up. I don’t make any money from it, just get the free space.

If you decide to try it out, you have to not only sign up for the account, but download and install the software to get the bonus free space. Personally, I think the software is the handiest way to use Dropbox, so you won’t want to go without it. If you do sign up, make sure you just start out with the free account. No need to pay until you get to a point where you need more space.

Dropbox is worth trying and I highly recommend it.