How do you use cloud storage?

Cloud storage has become quite the standard feature, hasn’t it? It wasn’t too long ago that it wasn’t everywhere, even if some of the most popular apps out there were based on the usage. We’ve seen apps like DropBox and SugarSync take plenty of the lime light over the years, but now there are some serious competitors trying to make a name for themselves in the cloud storage market with brand new, or updated, applications. Google launched Drive, finally. Microsoft has seriously revamped and utilized SkyDrive. More applications are gaining access to Apple’s iCloud. And even Microsoft launched a cloud storage service for gamers with the Xbox 360.

It’s become a standard feature in a lot of applications, too. There are plenty of writing applications out there who offer up a cloud storage feature, and companies like Amazon let you store music in the cloud and stream it whenever you want. I’ve asked in the past if you prefer to stream your music, or if you store it locally. Having the option to listen to your music without taking up space on your personal storage is certainly an enticing feature.

I realized earlier today that I love cloud storage. I use it, a lot. I don’t just use one service, either.

I’ve used services like DropBox and SugarSync in the past, but as of recently I’ve moved away from them entirely. In their place, I’ve chosen Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Google’s Drive, and Apple’s iCloud. In addition to that, I even make use of Microsoft’s cloud storage for the Xbox 360.

Each service has its own benefit, and I use them for different things. For SkyDrive, I use it primarily for music and photos. I have 25GB available to me, so that’s where I go when I need to have plenty of storage. As for Google’s Drive, I use that mostly for photos and larger uploads. I’ve noticed that Google Drive has the quickest upload speeds for me, and it’s maximum upload size is pretty great, too.

For work, I have iCloud. The writing applications that I use every single day all have access to iCloud, and the fact that I have apps that work both on the desktop, as well as mobile, all connected with Apple’s cloud service just makes it that much easier.

I have plenty of storage on all my devices. I use streaming music services, and I don’t have any movies on my personal mobile devices that take up storage. And yet, or maybe because of it, I still prefer to have my photos, music, documents, and whatever else in the cloud, ready to be accessed from multiple sources at any given moment.

Cloud storage has made it possible for me, and many others out there, to use their multiple devices more efficiently, and that speaks volumes to me. I am not always on the move, but when I am I like to have the ability to reach what I need, when I need it.

Of course, I still have a physical back-up drive sitting right next to me, which I plug in once a day, every day. I’ve done the whole “cloud storage only” thing in the past, and it has bitten me without warning. I love my cloud storage, but I’ll never go without a physical back-up again.

Which cloud storage services do you use? Do you use more than one on a regular basis, or do you stick everything in one and call it good? Or, have you skipped the cloud storage movement altogether? Let me know in the comments below!