Like a lot of people, I work from multiple computers. I have a personal laptop, a work laptop, and randomly find myself using different machines when going to meetings, traveling or visiting friends and family. So I have a problem getting files from one machine to another. I have a flash drive I use on occasion, but usually resort to emailing myself files I know I’ll be working on. The result is multiple versions of documents and, well, confusion. In talking to friends, lots of people have this problem.

I’ve been using Netvibes as my homepage for awhile now and recently tried out the Box.net tool Netvibes offers as a plug in. Box.net is an online storage service that allows you to access your uploaded documents from any computer with an Internet connection. It is a great product. Box.net stores up to one GB worth of documents for free, and includes features like tagging, the ability to make documents private or public and extremely fast uploads and downloads. There are a number of other players in this space besides Box.net, including Amazon.com.

I’ve been using Box.net pretty cautiously so far. I’m not storing any documents that are sensitive in nature and make sure to have local backups of anything I post to Box.net. But having just used this service for a little while, I’m sold on the power of online document storage and will be watching closely as the online storage industry matures.

About the Author
Todd Zeigler
Todd Zeigler serves as the Brick Factory’s chief strategist and oversees the operations of the firm. In his sixteen year career in digital, he has planned and implemented campaigns for clients including the Pickens Plan, International Youth Foundation, Panthera, Edison Electric Institute, and the American Chemistry Council. Todd develops ambitious online advocacy programs, manages crises, implements online marketing strategies, and develops custom applications and software. He is bad at golf though.