Running Out Of Space In The Cloud? – 5 Possible Solutions

When you use cloud storage services, at some point you might get a warning telling you that you’re running out of space. If that’s the case, there are basic steps you can take to free up some space like deleting old backups, change your settings, or use a different service to store your photos.

While these are simple solutions, there are other steps you can take to manage your space in the cloud, and here’s an overview of five of them:

Know When To Use IMAP vs. POP Email

Accessing email through a POP server means your email will be downloaded to your local machine and will be retrieved when you start your email client. You’ll have access to your emails 24/7, even when you’re offline, which is great if you need to access them while you’re not connected to the internet.

POP works well if you’re using a machine with lots of storage (like a laptop) because you’ll have room to store all of your emails. On the other hand, if you use POP email on devices that sync to the cloud, it could be one of the biggest causes for running out of cloud space.

IMAP, on the other hand, doesn’t download your emails like POP does. Your email client simply reads your emails directly from the server, making IMAP the perfect choice for devices with limited storage like smartphones and tablets.

Email Settings On iPhones And iPads

If you’re using POP email on your iPhone or iPad, you have the option to sync email only for a certain period of time like 3 days, one week, three weeks, etc. That way, your entire email account doesn’t get synced to the cloud.

Stop Using Cloud Storage As A Backup Solution

There are many cloud file storage services that promise to safely back up your files so you don’t have to worry about losing your data. Sometimes these services automatically come with the programs you’re using (like Dropbox), and sometimes people use a separate hosted cloud file storage solution.

Although it sounds like a great idea, there are two main problems with using cloud space for backing up your files:

File backups take up a huge amount of space. If you’re backing up all of your files by uploading them to the cloud (pictures, videos, music, etc.), you’re going to run out of room really quickly. It’s convenient to have all of your files in one location in the cloud so you can access them from anywhere, but you probably have files you don’t need 24-hour access to.
Cloud storage isn’t a genuine backup solution. A real backup solution takes regular snapshots so you can restore your files to a particular point in time based on those snapshots. Also, a real backup solution creates multiple, redundant copies of your files housed in different locations. Cloud storage alone doesn’t provide either of these options.All it takes is one glitch for your files to disappear, and while they might still exist on the hard drive, you may have a difficult time recovering them because companies like Dropbox claim no liability for lost or damaged files. On the other hand, when you use a legitimate backup solution, data recovery is part of what you pay for.

If You Use iCloud Services, Buy A Larger Allotment (Or Switch)

If you’re using iCloud, you’ve only got 5GB of total storage space. That’s not much space if you’re storing photos and videos, and most people run out of space quickly. iCloud does offer the option to buy more space (even up to 200GB) for just a few bucks a month, but there are other services that offer far more photo storage than iCloud. For example, Flikr offers 1TB of photo storage at no cost.

If you’re attached to iCloud storage, here are some things you can do to free up some of your space from your iPhone or iPad. If you’re not attached to iCloud, consider using a different service that will offer you more space for less money.

Beware Of Unlimited File Storage

You might be wondering how anyone could run out of storage space when they have a plan for unlimited data storage?

[pullquote]Regardless of what type of storage service you signed up for, there is ultimately no such thing as “unlimited storage space.”[/pullquote] All hard drives have a limited capacity, and if you’re paying for unlimited storage, it just means the company is willing to provide you with more of their resources to house your files.

The reason companies can offer unlimited storage space is because they know many people won’t even use a fraction of the space they’re paying for – therefore, more resources can be allocated to the people who really do need to use it. This can be a gamble at times, though, and if the company isn’t balancing the load well enough, it could lead to crowded servers, downtime, and more technical problems.

Get A Dedicated Server

Ultimately, if the cloud storage options available in the marketplace aren’t enough for you, then you may want to consider paying for your own dedicated server. It can cost a bit more but you shouldn’t run out of space.

You may need to shell out a little more money if you need more space, but try these methods to free up space first. You might be surprised at how much space you can free up by just changing a few settings.

For more information and tips here on Bit Rebels on cloud management, click here!