External Storage and File Sharing
External storage and file sharing can be an important part of owning and managing a website. Websites have a lot of files, images, databases and other information that you do not want to lose. Keeping everything only on the same server as your website can become a problem if something happens to the server or website. External storage gives you another place to keep important files and backups.
For this lesson, I used Dropbox with UpdraftPlus to back up my WordPress website. I set UpdraftPlus to automatically send my backups to Dropbox. This was helpful because my backup is not only sitting inside of WordPress or on the same web server. If I have an issue with my website later, I have another location where my backup files are stored. It is also helpful because it runs automatic backups instead of having to do them manually.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud storage and file sharing service that allows you to store files online and access them from different devices. One of the biggest pros for me was how easy it was to connect it to UpdraftPlus. Once it was connected, my WordPress backups could be sent directly to my Dropbox account. Dropbox also makes it easy to organize and share files with other people. A con is that the free account has limited storage, so large websites or a lot of backups could eventually take up the available space.
Google Drive
Google Drive is another cloud storage and file sharing option. A big pro is that a lot of people already have a Google account, so they may already have access to Drive without needing to create another account. It is also easy to share folders and files with other people and control who can view or edit them. Google Drive can also be used as a remote storage option with WordPress backup plugins. One con is that your storage is shared with other Google services, so website files and backups can take away from the storage you use for things like email, photos and other documents.
Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service and is another option for storing and sharing website files. OneDrive can be especially convenient for people who already use Microsoft products because it works with the same Microsoft account and other Microsoft services. Files can be accessed from different devices and shared with other people when needed. Like the other services, there are storage limits depending on your account or plan. It may also not be as convenient for someone who does not already use Microsoft’s other products.
I think the biggest benefit of external storage is simply not putting all of your eggs in one basket. If something goes wrong with your website, you do not want the only copy of your website to be stored in the same place as the website itself. External storage is also useful when multiple people need access to files or when you need to work from more than one computer. There are several options available, and the best one really depends on what services you already use, how much storage you need and what you are using it for.