In the era of the mobile device boom, it’s not all about your PC anymore. As an increasing number of people scatter their data across PCs, smartphones and tablets, managing data across all these devices becomes a true challenge. Obviously, if there weren’t for cloud computing applications, mobile devices couldn’t have advanced at all but, let’s face it, PC remains the device of choice for millions of users worldwide.

Thanks to the cloud-based services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and SugarSync, both PC and mobile users can have peace of mind when it comes to data accessibility. By installing a simple cloud storage service, you get plenty of options to improve your device’s performance.

Free storage space

Cloud storage refers to sending data outside your local device and letting it occupy someone else’s disk space. This is what actually enables streaming bandwidth-heavy applications to a device as small as a smartphone. Whichever storage service you choose, it will allow you to significantly clear out the local space on your device and thus enhance its performance.

File syncing

The true advantage of cloud storage services is that they let you access your files from whichever place on the planet, provided that it is connected to the Internet. Once you save a file in your cloud folder, it automatically becomes available to you through a web browser. Moreover, with SugarSync, for example, you can sync the whole folders from your desktop PC to all your other devices and get the instant access to it from all of them. This enables efficient collaboration, which is why cloud storage services are increasingly being used in companies.

Backup plan

Considering the fact that PC users nowadays generate amazing amounts of digital data, it has become extremely important to protect it from a potential disaster. Cloud stores your data remotely, meaning that if your device gets broken or stolen, you don’t have to worry about losing your files because they’ll be retrievable from the cloud. Again, this is an excellent solution for professionals who must take special care of their business documents.

Easy sharing

Remember the time when it was rude to send a large file via an email because it would probably make a recipient’s computer system crash? Well, now the Internet advanced a lot but average file size limits in most email services remained quite small. Luckily, with a cloud account you can now share large documents or even the whole folders via a single web link. In addition to this, since you can automatically upload photos to your cloud folder, you can also easily share them on Facebook or Twitter because most of the services offer this option, too.

Plethora of services to choose

Depending on your priorities, you have quite a wide range of cloud storage services to choose from. Each of the services offers some special perks for free users but you should definitively inquire about their features before signing up. Dropbox is usually regarded as the most popular and the most intuitive app but if 2GB of free space is not enough for you, you can always opt for Microsoft’s SkyDrive that offers 7GB of storage for free. In a similar manner, you should choose SugarSync if you wish to sync whole folders or Google Drive if you want to collaborate efficiently. Box is an option for business users, while iCloud is definitively a good solution for all Apple fans.

Clearly, the possibilities with cloud accounts are almost limitless and it has practically become a must for contemporary PC users to install at least one of them. Plenty of users have recognized the cloud’s potential, which justifiably made it a tech trend of the decade.

Leana Thorne is a freelance writer covering various technology themes. She enjoys sharing content – information is power.  Her specialty is web and server hosting, cloud computing, virtual private servers and new Internet technologies.