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Best cloud storage deals: Want to keep your data safe and secure without blowing the budget? (Image: GETTY EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Looking for the best cloud storage deals? Whether you're looking to back-up your iPhone, Windows PC, Android phone or tablet ...there are a dizzying number of solutions that promise to keep your precious files, photos, and documents stored in the cloud.

We've scoured the latest cloud storage promotions and price cuts to find the best deals in the UK today.

Short on time? IDrive has slashed prices by 50% for the first year of your subscription, dropping the cost of5TB of storage for your laptop, home PC, smartphone, digital camera, or tablet to below 5 per month.

For context, Apple charges 8.99 per month for just 2TB of storage with its iCloud+ service, Google charges 7.99 for 2TB of storage, and Microsoft charges 5.99 for 1TB. That's a huge saving and hundreds of additional gigabytes to store your files.

IDrive offers military-grade 256-bit AES encryption forany files stored on its servers.

The US brand allows you to backup to your cloud storage from multiple devices simultaneously, including PCs, iOS and Android devices, personal servers, and many more. Downloading the companion apps created by the teams at IDrive will let you begin to automatically back-up files at regular intervals helpful if you're forgetful at the best of times.

Do not be put off by the $ pricing on their website, customers from the UK can still sign-up and use IDrive, but you may be charged a conversion fee from your bank. If possible, you'll want to use an account that doesn't charge fees when paying in other currencies to take full advantage of the savings.

Of course, IDrive is just one of a huge number of brands that offer back-up to the cloud. Below, we've assessed a number of the most prominent cloud storage brands, and answered some of the most common questions around cloud storage. Scroll down for our complete guide to the best cloud storage deals in the UK, or click the links above to jump to a relevant section.

What is cloud storage?

As the name suggests, cloudstorage is a way to keep digital files on a hard drive in another location worldwide, with everything accessible via the internet. Think of it like backing-up important files on a USB flash-drive ...but instead of keeping that drive stored next to your computer, it's locked away in a vault in California.

While local back-ups areincrediblyimportant if there's an issue with your PC (so you restore your files), if you lose your possessions in a flood, fire, or theft, then it's easy to lose the back-up copy of the files you want to restore. If those same files are stored in the cloud, you'll only need to download fresh copies over the internet.

As such, cloud storage can be a lifesaver for families, young professionals, or small businesses with gigabytes of photos, videos, documents and files that they cannot afford to lose.

Cloud storage is available from a huge number of providers, including the manufacturer of your smartphone and laptop, internet brands like Google and Yahoo, the best VPN brands, and many more. There are also free options, but the amount of storage offered with free pricing tiers is usuallyvery limited meaning you'll run out of space fast (forcing you to upgrade to a paid tier).

Cloud storage providers are responsible for hosting your files, managing that data (so nothing is corrupted), and securing everything so that it doesn't fall into the wrong hand. That'sa lot of responsibility and that's why it'sso important you go with a trustedcloudstorageprovider.

When you upload your precious files to a cloud storage provider, that brand is responsible for hosting and securing that data. As such, it's important to pick a trusted firm with a proven track-record

Cloud storage is ahuge upgrade that means individuals, families or small businesses can store vast amounts of data without clogging up their local hard drive ...or filling drawers with external flash drives.

As mentioned above, crucially, it means if one of your devices is damaged or stolen,cloudstoragewill have all your files in one neat and tidy place so you can restore them when you've got a new machine (or repaired an old one).

Cloudstorageworks by allowing a computer, tablet, or smartphone to send and retrieve filesonlineto and from a remote data server. The same data is usuallystoredon more than one server simultaneously, so customers can always access their data even if one server is down or loses data.

The advantages of cloud storage

We're living in a digital world: our treasured family photos and videos, payslips, CVs, warranties, healthcare documentation are all stored on hard drives on our laptops, tablets, and phones.

This makes finding files, creating copies, and sharing photos and documents much easier than rifling through folders of print-outs ...but there is a flaw with these digital versions. That's because problems can occur with these devices, not to mention thefts, corrupted software, and breakdowns ...resulting in the loss of data.

And that's when you really need acloudstorage solution in your corner.

Mostcloudstorageproviders provideonlineapplications that automatically back up any files you put on your phone or PC. It means that you don't need to worry about that file disappearing if your Android or Apple phone is stolen or it breaks.

As well as this, using thecloudforstoragegives you access to your files from anywhere that has an internet connection so if you forget your laptop or phone, you can access the file from anywhere with another device.

Cloudstorage solutions are that expensive either and some providers offerstoragefor very cheap. Somestorageoptions can cost as little as 50p a month depending on how muchstorageyou need and the features it provides.

Best cloud storage deals

1. IDrive

IDrive offers some of the cheapestcloudstorageon the market with very competitive pricing. It offers a free version for anyone without the need to enter your credit card or any payment information.

IDrive's also supplies business planswhich start at $99.50 for 5TB ofstorageshared among five users and five computers and scale up from there.

But there's a special offer for new customers and you can 5TB of storage space for $7.95 (6.18) for the first year as part of its introductory paid plans.

It comes with its own software which constantly backs up any files or data you have on your PC, iPhone or any device you want to back up and supports Windows and iMacs.

For PC users, the desktop app regularly backs up files and you can schedule exactly when you want to backup your data and files. On iPhones, it can back up your photos, videos, contacts, and calendar. Android users have even more options, with the ability to back up all that plus complete SMS and call log history.

IDrive also uploads are encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption on transfer andstorage, which is the industry standard. You can also use time-based one-time passcode sent to an authenticator app or get a code by email or SMS.

IDrive desktop and mobile applications both have restore functionality that lets you choose which files you want to restore to your computer and where you'd like them to go.

One unique selling point to IDrive is if you have poor internet or a power outage, you can choose to have ability to recover files via a hard drive shipped to you in the mail if you have a large amount of data that needs to be downloaded.

2.Google One

Google has become one of the most trusted companies forcloudstorageand offers a vast amount of space completely for free. Google One offers 15GB ofstoragefor free cloud storage for everyone who has a Google account.

However, it offers largerstorageplans for as little as 1.59 a month depending on what you want to use it for. Members also get up to 10 per cent back on Google Store devices and accessories including exclusive offers and special features.

Google's more Premium tier - which including 2TB worth ofstorage- also allows you access to Google Workspace Premium. If you're a small business and need access to video-calling, Workspace Premium means that you can host calls for up to 24 hours, livestream Youtube videos and record meetings when your in call with colleagues or friends.

In terms of security, Google boasts that it has one of the worlds most secure and reliablecloudinfrastructures. Its continuously monitored to protect your data and keep it available. And in the event of a disruption, services can be automatically and instantly shifted from one facility to another so that they can continue without interruption.

Google One also offers a free VPN with the service. With the VPN, you can reduceonlinetracking by hiding your IP address and help protect against eavesdropping while on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi.

But if you want a dedicated VPN, you can find out more about the best VPN deals here.

3. NordLocker

NordLocker is a cloud storage solution from the brand behind the award-winning VPN service. In our NordVPN review, we scored the service five-stars for its beautifully-designed apps and ease-of-use.

And it won't surprise you to learn that the same can be said about NordLocker. This storage solution offers 3GB for free to back-up your documents, photos, and videos to the cloud. If that's not enough, you can choose between a variety of storage options, ranging from 500B to 2TB.

NordLocker boasts a number of apps, including Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. These intuitive apps allow you to choose exactly which of your files will be encrypted and uploaded to the cloud. Alternatively, the apps can be used to automate the back-up process, so those with a sieve-like memory willnever lose an important document or treasured family photo.

One of the best features of NordLocker is its impressive security and AES256encryption that is built into the application. Even though NordLocker is built around cloud storage, it offers local encryption on files meaning they are locked on your hard drive.

That means if your PC or device is compromised by hackers, all your files are safe and sound without you worrying about anyone seeing them.

Pricing is also very fair for the features and amount of space that you get. Prices for 500GB and 2TB worth of storage range from 2.29 a month and 5.49 a month which are billed annually. But as mentioned, if you choose to pay monthly on a rolling price, it costs far 6.29 a month and 15.79 a month which is pricey.

It also provides great business options (albeit they are charged in United States dollars rather than pounds) and costs $8.99 a month per user and $14.99 a month per person. Again, these prices increase if you want to have a rolling monthly price.

If your PC or device is compromised by hackers, all your files are safe and sound without you worrying about anyone seeing them.

Nordlocker even provides custom business plans tailored to your needs so if you're a business that needs specific criteria with your cloud storage plan, Nordlocker can arrange that.

Nordlocker provides users with a 30-day money-back guarantee so to ensure you getthe best deal possible, you should try out the free trial then opt into a yearly plan if you're satisfied.

Nordlocker's interface is also extremely simple to use, making it one of the most user-friendly programs on the list. It's sleek, smooth and gives you all the information you need to know without making the process confusing.

if your PC or device is compromised by hackers, all your files are safe and sound without you worrying about anyone seeing them.

4. Microsoft 365

Microsoft OneDrive is no more and it has since merged with Microsoft 365 offering more features and value.

Microsoft offers some of the best value in terms of features andcloudstorageon the market. Its new 365 model provides not justcloudstoragebut access to its popular productivity apps such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel and more.

It also offers some of the biggest and generousstorageoptions on its higher tiers of subscription - offering each family member 1TB worth ofstoragefor six people. Pricing is also very reasonable, giving you access to large amounts ofstorage, productivity apps and it works on Windows, iOS and Android devices.

The best part is you can try it for FREE for a month to see if its the right thing for you.

Microsoft also offers absolutely security for its users including password-protected sharing links, expiring sharing links and its Personal Vault which allows you to store extremely sensitive information such as digital copies of your passport and drivers licence.

It makes sure these files are safe by making sure you give your fingerprint, face or other biometric information.

It also lets you easily expand yourstorageby up to 2TB depending on the plan you decide to subscribe to. Microsoft also offers easy and simple business options which includes all the above.

5. iCloud

Apple recently announced it was raising its pricing for all of its iCloud services but it still offers some of the best value in terms ofstoragefor those in the iOS ecosystem.

One massive disadvantage is that you can't use iCloud on Android or Linux devices but you can use it on Windows PCs. iCloud also only offers its services on a monthly payment which is good because you don't have to pay a large amount upfront but that also means you're probably paying more overall compared to somecloudservices.

iCloudstorageoffers absolutely seamlessstoragebetween all iOS devices as it is built into almost every iOS device so it's a no-brainer if you are already heavily part of the Apple ecosystem, If you aren't, there might be better choices out there.

The best part of iCloud is its photostorageand sharing. It allows your original high-resolution photos and videos to be securelystoredand protected in iCloudwith lightweight, space-saving versions on all your devices.

Apple has also cranked up its privacy options through iCloud. Its Private Relay isdesigned to prevent websites and network providers from building a profile about you based on your IP address, location and browsing history on the Safari browser.

iCloud also offers a "Hide My Email" option which lets you generate unique, random email addresses that automatically forward to your personal inbox and even lets you reply. There's also passwordstoragebuilt into iCloud so you can seamlessly ensure that your passwords and log-ins are available across all iOS devices.

6. LiveDrive

Livedrive offers unlimitedcloudbackup for your computer but also offers a unique file system called Briefcase and it allows you to customise and choose which features you want.

For individuals who want to backup their entire computer, Livedrive offers this with ease with no worrying about getting morestoragebut this doesn't include your operating system so you'll have to reinstall that to get your files back.

If you need to sync files between computers, Briefcase lets you do that and there'scloudstoragespace limited to 5TB.

Livedrive lets you get at your files on the web, and there are competent client applications for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android.

The backup filesstoredby Livedrive are AES-256 bit encrypted on its servers, but it doesn't offer complete end-to-end encryption.

For businesses, the pricing starts at 30 a month, and that gets you protection for three users, as well as 2TB ofcloudstorage.

How do you use cloud storage?

Cloudstorageproviders normally have their own platform where you can access the files that are backed up. For example, Apple has its iCloud that allows iPhone and iMac users to accessonlineor on their phones.

From there, you can manage what files you have backed up and access files from your account. Some providers ask you to download a application to your phone or PC so it can automatically backup any file you download.

Mostcloudstorageproviders make it very easy for anyone to access their files without the need to learn anything too technical. As well as this,cloudstorageapplications automatically upload files that you have on your device so you don't have to worry about uploading every file you want to store.

But if you want to be particular with what files you want incloudstorage, users can easily pick and choose what files they do and don't want so you don't fill up on space quickly.

Is cloud storage safe and secure?

Keeping data secure is one of the most important things for individuals and businesses especially during a time where hackers are continually trying to access people's information and data. Keeping prying eyes away from your personal or businesses' data can be extremely important and it can be very detrimental if your data is leaked.

The good news is that informationstoredin thecloudis likely to be more secure than are files, images and videosstoredon your own devices. But why is that?

That's becausecloudcompanies often rely on far more robust cybersecurity measures to protect your sensitive data. Servers are usually located in warehouses that most workers dont have access to.

Secondly, the filesstoredoncloudservers are encrypted. This means that they are scrambled, which makes it far harder for cybercriminals to access.

The good news is that informationstoredin thecloudis likely to be more secure than are files, images and videosstoredon your own devices.

These days,cloudproviders are also turning to artificial intelligence, or AI, to help protect your data. It's not easy to find experienced security professionals to oversee data.Cloudproviders, though, can instead turn to AI to tackle at least the first level of security analysis.

Most of the biggestcloudproviders practice redundancy. This means that they copy your data several times and store them on many different data centers. This way, if one server goes down, you can access your files from a back-up server.

As well as the above, when you store your data in thecloud, the companies overseeing the servers should be consistently updating their security measures. You wont have to worry about forgetting to run an update.

How much cloud storage do I need?

It can entirely depend on your personal or business needs. Somestorageoptions can range from 1GB of space to 50TB depending on what you needcloudstoragefor.

The good news is that most providers can easily allow you to change the amount ofcloudstoragethat you need. only give you the new space, but also automatically up your subscription charge. Even better, once the project is done, you can ratchet both capacity and price back down again just as easily.

Read more:
Best cloud storage deals in the UK: Get 200GB backup from Google for FREE, and more - Express