Cloud Storage Offers in Switzerland Compared

More and more people now store their images and other data in the cloud. In the age of smartphones, using the cloud offers consumers a practical way to access their digital data at any time, from anywhere. This guide gives you the most important information about cloud storage for private individuals in Switzerland.

What is cloud storage?

When you use a cloud storage solution, your data is stored in a data server. Using cloud storage is similar to using an external USB drive, but the difference is that the “virtual drive” you get with cloud is not limited to being used by just one device at a time. Multiple devices, including computers and phones, can all use the cloud storage over the Internet at the same time.

Which cloud storage solutions can I use in Switzerland?

Many cloud storage solutions are offered by service providers that operate internationally. The cloud computing market is dominated by US tech giants Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Apple. Dropbox, a cloud storage pioneer, is also based in the US.

Numerous other cloud service providers from around the world compete with the US tech giants for a share of cloud computing users. These include many phone makers, such as Samsung and Huawei, in addition to Apple and Google.

Many companies from Switzerland and other European countries also offer cloud storage. The three Swiss cloud service providers Swisscom, Infomaniak, and Proton all market their cloud storage solutions to Swiss consumers. The German email service provider GMX, which is widely used in Switzerland, also includes cloud storage offers in its product lineup.

Theoretically, almost any cloud computing service from any country in the world can be used from Switzerland. The main requirement is that the cloud service provider enables its services for people living in Switzerland.

What are the most important functions of cloud storage?

The main purpose of a cloud storage solution is to enable you to save and retrieve digital data. This can be done using various digital devices. In addition to computers and laptops, you can also access your cloud storage via a tablet or phone, for example.

But cloud computing solutions may also offer many other functions. These features are widely included in cloud storage offers:

• Backups: This is one of the most important supplemental functions. For example, copies of photos on your phone or files on your computer can be saved to your cloud storage.
• Sharing files: You can share links to your cloud storage with other people. For example, you can share holiday photos or manuscripts with friends, acquaintances, or colleagues.
• Collaboration: You and other people can all work on the same text document, table, presentation, or other project simultaneously from different devices.
• Photos and video storage: Videos and photographs are automatically saved to your cloud storage. You can access them from anywhere.
• Apps for phones and tablets: Typically, cloud storage providers offer mobile apps so that you can access your cloud from phones and tablets as well.

Some cloud storage offers include these features:

• End-to-end encryption: Cloud storage solutions typically encrypt data when transferring it to and from the cloud. But end-to-end encryption provides more security. With end-to-end encryption, your data is encrypted on your own device before it is transferred to the cloud storage. Zero-knowledge encryption, like that used by Proton, is exceptionally secure. But not all cloud service providers support this level of encryption. With zero-knowledge encryption, even the cloud service provider itself cannot view or evaluate your data. As long as you use a very strong password, it is virtually impossible for a third party to access your data. To view your files, a third party would either have to know your password, or spend a lot of effort on trying to decrypt your data.
• Versioning: Some cloud service providers let you access different versions of the same document. Some service providers give you the option of using versioning for all files, while with others it is only available for certain kinds of documents.

Integration with your software: All service providers let you upload and download files over a web browser. But being able to exchange data directly within a computer program or mobile app is more convenient. How deeply a cloud solution is integrated into your other software varies between service providers. For example, Microsoft’s cloud storage is well integrated with Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel. Apple’s iCloud is thoroughly woven into the iPhone.

• Mailboxes: Infomaniak lets you send third parties special links to so-called mailboxes. The recipient can then upload files to these mailboxes – which are part of your cloud storage. This is possible even if the recipient does not have an account with that cloud service provider.
• Other integrated features: Some cloud storage offers include additional tools, such as photo editing solutions, office programs (like word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software), add-ons that enable additional features, and direct access to third-party services. Although many cloud computing offers have similar features, there are still important differences between different service providers.  

Which criteria should I consider when choosing a cloud storage solution?

Which features are most important is partly a question of your personal preferences. Not all customers want the exact same thing from a cloud storage service.

Important points to consider when choosing a cloud storage provider may include:

• The amount of storage space: It is important that the size of your cloud storage matches your needs. Having too little storage will result in your having to constantly delete existing files in order to free up space for new ones. Take time to get informed about your options for adding more storage space. There are big differences between service providers when it comes to the maximum possible amount of storage you can get.
• The location of data servers: Many consumers in Switzerland prefer to keep their data on servers in Switzerland. Proton, Infomaniak, and Swisscom, for example, all advertise the fact that data is stored in Switzerland. GMX stores data in Germany. If the server is located outside of Europe or operated by a US company, then it is often much easier for the governments of the corresponding country to gain access to your data.
• Data transfer speeds: Are transfers to and from your cloud storage completed quickly, or do you have to wait a while for data transfers to finish? If a cloud service is much slower than other online services you use on the same device, that can be a sign that the cloud service provider has a poor Internet connection or that its server is overloaded. But your home Internet plan also plays a role in determining transfer speeds.
• Privacy protection laws: There are big differences between the privacy laws of different countries. The European Union’s privacy protection is regarded as strict, while the privacy protection policies of US service providers are typically less consumer-friendly.
• Usability: Are the apps and the web portal easy to use? How well does synchronization of data between the cloud and your different devices work?
• Features: Does the cloud service offer additional features that could be useful for you? Examples may include zero-knowledge encryption and versioning. These features are described further up.
• Customer service: If getting help when problems occur is important to you, then you should make sure to use a service provider with good customer service.
• Advertisements: Are you shown advertisements while using your cloud storage?
• Price tags and conditions: The price also plays a role. Possible incidental costs are also worth paying attention to. Additionally, you should also pay attention to the terms and conditions of the user agreement. Some service providers give you the option of getting annual plans, with the cost over 12 months being less than you would pay for the same period with a monthly plan.
• Environmental impact: Data centers consumer huge amounts of energy. Some service providers focus on using electricity that has been generated in an ecological way. Swisscom, for example, only uses energy from renewable source, while Infomaniak limits itself to hydro and solar power. Infomaniak stresses the importance of environmental aspects, using a longer lifespan for its servers and optimizing the efficiency of its data centers. Both Infomaniak and Swisscom compensate for their CO2 consumption.

What is included with free cloud storage offers?

Many service providers offer free cloud storage plans. These plans have relatively small amounts of storage space. If you use your cloud storage for automatic backups of files on your phone, for example, you will likely reach the limits of your free storage space fairly quickly.  

Depending on the service provider, the free plans include between 2 and 15 gigabytes of storage space. The free plans from Infomaniak and Google have the highest limits.

Table 1: Free cloud storage plans

* The storage space is shared between all services (including email).

How much do paid cloud storage solutions cost?

The cheapest paid cloud storage offers cost as little as around one franc per month, and include 50 gigabytes of storage space. If you need more space, you can get 1 to 3 terabytes for between around 5 and 30 francs, depending on the service provider.

Be aware that the limits on storage space often apply to the entire cloud computing service package, and not just to the cloud storage solution.

Table 2: Paid cloud storage plans

* The storage space is shared between all services (including email).

The following diagram shows you how much 1 to 1000 gigabytes of cloud storage costs at different service providers.

The tables and the diagram are based on the monthly fees that you would pay with a monthly plan. These plans can be terminated on short notice. Many cloud storage offers are also available as annual plans. The annual fees charged by Google and Microsoft are equivalent to just 10 monthly fees. Other service providers give you a discount when you get an annual plan (typically 10 to 30 percent).   

How secure is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is generally considered to be secure.

But using cloud storage securely also requires you as the user to take some basic precautions. Using a strong password is important. You can boost security by using two-factor authentication. Scammers may use phishing in attempts to gain access to your login information. Never click on any link in an email or text message that asks for your cloud storage login information.

Backing up all your data on an external hard drive or other storage device as well as on the cloud adds another layer of security. A good security concept is to store your data both in the cloud and on one or even on two external storage devices that are kept in different locations. Do your backups to the storage devices manually so that errors in the automatic synchronization you use for cloud backups are not replicated on your external storage devices as well. You can use backup software that only backs up new data that has been added since your last backup is saved to the storage device.

You can secure your data even further by using as second cloud storage service and disabling automatic synchronization for that cloud. Adjust the settings so that only backups are enabled, but not synchronization. If you end up losing files you want on the automatically-synchronized main cloud storage, your files will still be backed up on the non-synchronized cloud storage. That helps you avoid losing files that you accidentally delete.

What are the risks of using cloud storage?

Cloud storage providers generally take strong measures to ensure the security of your data. For example, data may be stored on multiple data servers in different locations. But it is impossible to guarantee one-hundred-percent security.  

In many cases, data loss is caused by mistakes on the part of the user. But computer systems are always prone to software errors. The synchronization settings can also lead to problems.

If you store data in the cloud, you are dependent on the service provider. You have to trust the service provider to ensure that your data is stored securely. It is also unclear what would happen to your data if a cloud storage provider were to go bankrupt.

What are the advantages of cloud storage?

Cloud computing offers a number of advantages:

• Simple data backups: If your device breaks down or is stolen, you can easily restore your data on a new device. In the case of a phone, you can restore all of the settings from your old phone as well, which can save you a lot of time and effort when you get a new phone. Thanks to the constant synchronization between your device and the cloud, you lose little or no data.
• Access your data from anywhere: As long as you have Internet access, you can access your data stored in the cloud from anywhere. For example, you can use your files while in your office, at home, on the beach while holidaying, or while riding on the train.
• Automatic synchronization: Your data is always available across all your devices.
• Automatic backups: You can turn on automatic backups so that your data is regularly saved automatically. You do not have to worry about making manual backups.

What are the disadvantages of cloud storage?

The cloud also has its disadvantages:

• Synchronization errors can result in data loss: Problems with synchronization are relatively commonplace. The settings on one device may conflict with those on a different device. The resulting chaos can result in your losing valuable data.
• Less control over your data: Because your files are not stored on your own device, you have less control over what happens to them. You have to trust the cloud service provider. If you lose your login information or if your account is blocked, you may have difficulty accessing your data. It is also unclear what would happen to your data if a cloud service provider you use were to go bankrupt.
• Privacy concerns: Your data is stored on servers owned by third parties. This can be a concern if you are worried about privacy.

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