FileShare applications like DropBox & Box, to name a few, have been trying to entice customers by offering unlimited storage. Their charges are seemingly based on user count and not size. Ask yourself this.
- Do you really need unlimited storage to share files?
- Where is the need most essential?
- What should the FileShare application really focus on?
To understand this, one has to be clear about the terms backup and synchronization.
Backup:
A backup is a process of taking a mirror copy of user data which can then be restored during a disaster. In general, it should be a full copy of original data and this data size varies based on usage level of a user. The concept of unlimited storage might fit in well with the backup concept.
Synchronization:
Synchronizing data is a process where user data is stored on a server location and synchronized with multiple users. This opens up the possibility of multiple user instances for a specific file. In synchronization, each user input on a file gets synced periodically.
Making multiple copies for a single file is not the function of synchronization and thus, unlimited storage offering is not essential in case of synchronization.
If the purpose of using cloud storage is purely for sync, share and collaboration, then consider the following before selecting your cloud storage provider:
- Total user count.
- Overall Data Size to be synced.
- Data Growth per year.
- User Growth per year.
The next steps would be to identify multiple products and analyze them based on the above considerations by:
- Comparing features, security and support
- Analyzing pricing based on users and data
Here is an example:
- User count: 100.
- Total Data Size: 10TB (100GB/User).
- Data Growth per Year: 25%.
- User Growth per Year: 10%.
- Products: DropBox, Box and FileShare.
Analysis:
Comparison chart:
https://www.bdrshield.com/blog/vembu-fileshare-vs-dropbox-vs-box-sxs-comparison/
Pricing analysis:
Box : $17 per user/Month, Unlimited storage.
DropBox : $15 per user/Month, 1TB per user (can be increased upon request).
FileShare : User cost FREE, $0.10 per GB/Month (100GB/User makes $10 User/Month).
Cost Estimations:
For year 1:
Box business cost: $20400(17*12*100).
DropBox business cost: $18000(15*12*100).
FileShare cost: $12000(10*12*100).
For year 2:
Growth/year estimation will increase eventually based on 12.5 TB(25% Data Growth) and 110 Users(10% User Growth).
Make your choices smart. Questions on our pricing and product features?
Simply mail us at vembu-support@vembu.com
