Keep files safe with online storage from Strato

With so many valuable or irreplaceable photos, videos and documents stored on computers these days, keeping them safe is a real concern for home computer users.

Making copies of files is simple enough but consumers face a dilemma over where to store them. CDs and DVDs are easy to make but can degrade – and often, the first we know of it is when files can no longer be read from the disc. External hard disks are another option, but are prone to mechanical failure in the long term. 

Get a free month of online storage from HiDrive

Another option you could consider is online storage. Instead of storing files on your own physical products you can store the files online, with a company that can be trusted to keep them properly, such as Strato. Strato has extensive experience of managing files online from its web-hosting service. With Strato HiDrive, all you have to do is upload your files and they will be safely stored.

You can be sure your files are safe: Strato uses two secure data centres, which means your files are secure and accessible by you, just as they would be in a bank vault.

The online storage data centres are certified according to the highest internationally agreed security standards. All files are secured with high-grade encryption in transit and password protection in storage to ensure they are safe from prying eyes.

HiDrive offers three online storage services to suit different needs and budgets. The HiDrive 100 package includes 100GB of space to store your files, which equates to millions of text files and documents, or thousands of high-quality pictures, video clips or music files.

Accessing files is simplicity itself. Use the file manager on the HiDrive website or by installing a tool that makes your HiDrive appear as another disk in the My Computer window so you can copy files to and from it as though it were another hard disk, whether you are using Windows, Linux or an Apple Mac.

 

You can even access files from a smartphone or tablet computer: Strato has apps for Android phone and tablet devices, with apps for the Apple iPhone and iPad coming soon.

 

Strato HiDrive 100 costs £9 per month and this is the online storage package that will be suitable for most home PC users, with space for tens of thousands of photos and documents.

Only those with large digital video collections will need more space, and if you are one of that group then for £19 a month you can subscribe to HiDrive 250, which increases storage space to 250GB – bigger than the hard disks in many computers. That way you won’t have to worry about which folders to back up as you can simply copy everything to the HiDrive.

If 250GB isn’t enough the HiDrive 500 service at £29 per month has 500GB of space and more user accounts. A free one-month trial is available for all versions.

Online storage can be slower than ‘local’ backups because your files must be transferred over the internet but for most, transfers can be made overnight. The good news is that once the initial transfer is complete, HiDrive copies only new files or those that have been changed, drastically reducing upload time.

 

And if your broadband service cannot cope with this, then HiDrive offers a service where you can send files on DVD for the company to add to your online account, at £2 per disc.

If you would like to try out Strato's online storage service for yourself before deciding to sign up, a free 30-day trial is available – if you don’t wish to continue after this time you can cancel online and you won’t be charged. Otherwise your service will roll on at the set fee for the contract period of six months. A free technical support hotline is available.

Our advice on backup has always been that the more valuable a file is, the more copies of it you should store. Strato’s easy-to-use HiDrive online storage service keeps files safe and secure and with a free trial for a whole month, it’s definitely worth a try.

Get started with HiDrive
Go to Strato's Hosting Deals web page, choose the version of Strato HiDrive you would like to use and scroll down the window to the ‘Get it now’ button. Click this and another new window will appear.

Enter your details as requested, making sure you enter the mobile phone number and email address correctly: Strato will send confirmation details to both, and you will need these to continue.

Click the orange Next button at the bottom of the page. Read the summary and make sure it’s correct, then click the orange Enter Payment Details button.

 

Enter your credit card details and click Continue. You will be taken to a confirmation page and informed that a code has been sent to your mobile phone by text message.

It may take several minutes to arrive but you can close the window – you will get an email with a confirmation link as well.

Click this to reopen the page and enter your phone code when it arrives. From that page you can also request another code if the first hasn’t arrived, or cancel your order. Once your code has been accepted your order will be confirmed.

 

Once your order has been confirmed you will be sent another email with your account details, along with the web address to access your storage space.

Once you’ve logged in with the emailed details you can use the control panel (pictured) to either access files online (click File Manager) or set it up for easier access (click ‘Set up drive’).

For the latter, you can select your computer’s operating system and the protocol you would like to use (we recommend WebDAV), and instructions will appear below. Once you have connected, your HiDrive will appear as an icon on the computer.

 

Get your free one-month trial of the online storage service HiDrive at Computeractive's HiDrive web page.