Dropbox

Avantages

I've been using Dropbox Business (DB) for about 5 years now and highly recommend it for anyone looking cloud service for storage, synchronization between different devices, and general file backup. Here are the pros of the service:

1) Extended File Version History: DB keeps historical versions of files and allows you to see or download different versions of your file for the last 120 days. If something goes wrong you can always download last successful version. This is one of my mostly used features; previously I manually saved each version of my files to restore if something goes wrong.

2) MS Office Integration: You can edit MS Office files even if you don't have Office software installed in your machine. You can use your browser to edit documents an changes will be automatically saved.

3) DB allows password protect and expirable shared links. Which is great if you're sharing sensitive documents.

4) DB comes with 3Tb worth of storage.

5) Learning curve and user interface: DB is super easy to learn, it satisfies needs of both technology newbies as well as technologically inclined people

6) A lot of third party applications work with your documents saved in Dropbox. If you open DB on internet browser and right click on file, DB will immediately offer different software options to OPEN/EDIT your files. Eg: PDF, photo editors, music/video players, etc.

7) Speed of synchronization is super fast, even if you're dealing with large Gb files.

Inconvénients

So far I didn't have any issues with Dropbox. Developer keeps adding new and useful features, so nothing to complain about it.

Avantages

I love how well file sync works and how reliable it is. For one of my primary uses of dropbox (Zotero library syncing) Dropbox is the only offering I've never had an issue with.
I also like the variability in sync options from "full folder" to "smartsync" and in between. This helps keep the storage down on some of my portable devices without me having to go about the hassle of managing multiple accounts. Dropbox was one of the first cloud storage and sync offerings and I think the backbone they built their software on is still as strong as ever and the mobile versions are excellent too.

Inconvénients

The biggest con to dropbox for business is that it is priced so far above the two main competitors that come to my mind (google drive and Onedrive). It's a shame because there are a lot of little things that just seem to be better implemented on dropbox. It's also sometimes fiddly to get it around a proxy server in the workplace an issue that has improved but still lingers (particularly with archaic proxies) and this is one of those things that can actually make a program unusable, because you quickly learn to rely on it and if it is not functioning you can lose a day of work easily without realising it.

Avantages

Sometimes I work from home, sometimes I go into the office, sometimes I work off my laptop. Using Dropbox makes it so great not to have to worry about having the most recent version of files available. Years ago I had to e-mail myself the latest copies of spreadsheets when I knew I'd be working in a different location.

The Smart Sync is a wonderful way to save disk space by customizing which files you want stored on your hard drive and which files you want stored only in the cloud. They've recently fixed an issue I was having with Windows search not being able to find the file names of files stored only in the cloud - now searching for file names of files stored in the cloud works with my Windows 10.

I have been saved more than once by being able to go back to previous version of a file and restore it when unintentional changes had been made to a file. Being able to go back and restore deleted files has also been helpful.

I love being able to access my files from any browser on any computer and on my mobile devices.

Sharing files and folders is so easy by just giving the other person a link.

At work, some teams that I am on use a shared folder to store files for the whole group to access.

Inconvénients

When I've had to contact customer service, sometimes I've felt like they didn't really understand my problem and provided solutions that didn't apply to my problem. Other times they've been great. Often I've been able to find information on their help section when I've had questions about a feature or problem, but not always.

Avantages

It is a complete online file sharing and storage service. You can register for free to Dropbox basic or you can decide to upgrade to Dropbox PLus (1TB of space) or to subscribe to the Dropbox Business Plan available in three different variants: Standard - Advanced - Enterprise. The Business Plan includes 30 days of free trial.

By creating a Dropbox Basic account you get 2GB of space for free. You can increase your space by completing some steps provided by Dropbox, such as: Dropbox App installation on your device, referral programme, and so on. The Business Plan offers 3TB of space and many other additional features you might find on the website.

You can easily upload, download and view your files that are stored in one single space and that could be always accessible and shareable with anyone through a simple web link.

The files could be sort in specific folders and each folder could be shared with different person. One space, multiple uses. When you delete a file you can recover it for a certain time (determine by the active plan).

Thanks to Dropbox’s Smart Sync, your devices will always be synchronized and your files always available.

Delta-updates cleverly manage amended files. When you edit a single word of an already uploaded file, Dropbox will only upload the variation preserving the rest.

LAN syncing among devices on the same local network

You can set specific privacy conditions to each file you upload or share.

Inconvénients

Commercial initiatives to push users switching to paid plans are very intrusive. No business invoice for Plus, only for Pro. That makes not so much sense to me and could be a big issue for the company. It has a free useful alternative, not so advanced but really valuable: Google Drive.

Avantages

My biggest advocation for Dropbox is how it integrates cloud backups into your computer's native file structure. Having on-computer search and version management is amazing.

Just when their software was getting stale, Dropbox introduced their Smart Sync feature. Smart sync is a fantastic way to manage thousands of files easily on any device, whether that's a custom-made PC workhorse or a MacBook Air. Smart Sync surpasses Selective Sync in almost every way, but it's not perfect.

Dropbox Business also introduces simultaneous personal and work accounts, which is fantastic. Because nearly everyone I know has a personal dropbox that they don't necessarily want backed up with work files. Dropbox handles these two accounts smoothly, letting you have two dropbox folders on your computer and allowing you to manage permissions individually.

I prefer it over Box.com and OneDrive. Even though those pieces of software may have more admin management tools, they show their age by how cluttered and complicated those tools are to manage. Dropbox is simple so you don't have to spend more time managing users than you have to.

Inconvénients

The way Dropbox handles their billing cycles is annoying and costly for rapidly adding and removing users. We use the annual billing cycle. If you go over your user cap, you have to pay for a full year of another user account immediately. Staying under your user cap doesn't get you a prorated rate and you don't get reimbursed for users you don't use.

Versioning and file change management has always been good with Dropbox, but recently it's been making some larger mistakes that can take hours or even days to sync up, even with a small team.

It would be good if you could set a folder or file owner who had specific privileges. Like only the owner can delete team-shared files, and the owner's version trumps version conflicts.

Smart sync is great, but it still has some bugs - especially when new folders are added by other team members.