It’s never been easier, more practical, and more fun.
Yes, you’ve heard of the “cloud”. You’ve probably even heard of Dropbox or Google Drive. Storing files in the cloud may seem like a scary concept that’s hard to visualize, but I can assure you it’ll pretty much change your life…and your business.
My personal preference is Dropbox, so that’s the solution I’ll tell you about. Dropbox is a form of online storage that is instantly backed up (when you are connected to the internet), and from which you can securely share folders or individual files with anyone. It is just a folder on your computer (with its own subfolders, for organization) that you can put any type of file into (video, spreadsheet, documents, photos, contracts – anything).
Here are some mind blowing uses of Dropbox:
- I have a desktop computer and a laptop, but I don’t actually store ANY files on my laptop – only in my Dropbox folder. That means that if something happens to my hard drive, if my computer is stolen, or if I suddenly want to work from a different computer, I have everything I need at my fingertips. Dropbox is a guaranteed form of backup. My files are 100% secure and safe.
- From my smartphone, from my iPad, and from any web browser, I can send or share any file that’s in my Dropbox. And since I store all of my files in Dropbox, I’ll never be without access to something I or my clients need.
- Never clog your outgoing email or your client’s incoming again. Using Dropbox, you can send a LINK to a file, rather than attaching that file to email. The recipient of the email simply clicks on the link and the file downloads on their end.
- If I choose to share a whole folder with someone, I can update the files that I’m working on and they’ll always see the most current version of our shared documents. (Imagine you spot a typo in an attachment after clicking send. Just change the file in Dropbox, and no need to email again with a new attachment. Your recipient will click the link and open the latest version of the file.)
- My assistant saves all her files to Dropbox so that I can access anything she’s working on when she’s not on duty, even though I’m not at her computer.
- You could keep all the strata documents for each listing in a separate Dropbox folder, and share access to it as needed. You can even revoke a shared link if you no longer want that link to be used.
- You don’t need a Dropbox account to receive or view a file that’s stored in Dropbox.
- Dropbox has a free 2GB version. I use the version that 100GB for $99/yr.
If you’re a fan of Google Drive – great. It works well! If you don’t use either Dropbox or Drive, I suggest Dropbox. I simply prefer the Dropbox interface and that’s the basis of my recommendation.
Cloud computing is the next big thing you maybe haven’t started doing yet.
Dropbox really couldn’t be simpler to use. Get started, and you’ll wonder how you lived without it!
Would you like some hands on setup and collaboration on how Dropbox will make your business better? I can talk you through setting it up, or I can come to your home or office.
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