Modern hunters of cloud-related bliss have an overwhelming number of solutions, ranging from basic and cheap to feature-rich and expensive. We chose two to look at here: the open-source system ownCloud, and the commercial service Dropbox. We tested ownCloud running on a cheap PC connected to a domestic broadband connection as our free solution. As an open-source project, the software is completely free. Dropbox is also free for most users, but offers a Pro service costing between $10 and $50 per month. This Pro service offers more space (100, 200, or 500GB) for an additional fee.
European-U.S. data protection agreement: Yet another attempt, yet another failure
The recent agreement between the US and the EU is the third attempt to secure the transfer of personal data from Europe to the US. Holger Dyroff, co-founder and COO of ownCloud, does not see the new regulatory attempt as a satisfactory solution.