Earlier this week I posted about an offer of free 10 GB cloud storage. In the past dotTech has discussed many cloud storage/backup options, including but not limited to Dropbox, SkyDrive, and Mozy. Presumably by now you have selected one service and have stuck to it. (I am a Dropbox user.) However, if you have not picked something yet or are looking to change, BeeCloud wants you to come to them; and to entice you, they are giving 512 GB (yes, that is right — gigabytes) to all users that register with them.

If you are excited to jump on BeeCloud simply because of the insane amount of storage space they are giving you, hold you horses. You don’t want to store your files with just anyone. You want to make sure the company you pick are reputable, not only for safety concerns but also longevity: You likely won’t have any files if the company you pick goes out of business. So, then, the question is if BeeCloud is a reputable company.

I only heard of BeeCloud recently via a post on dotTech’s forums so I cannot vouch for them one way or another. However, doing some basic research, it appears BeeCloud is a LiveDrive reseller. (They make no attempt to hide this fact.) LiveDrive is a large and popular cloud storage service, so it probably won’t go out business out of the blue. Longevity? Check, assuming LiveDrive doesn’t discontinue BeeCloud’s reseller account. LiveDrive claims – and presumably does – encrypt data and use SSL connections when transferring data. BeeCloud uses all of LiveDrive’s software and LiveDrive’s web interface for upload/downloading files, thus as a BeeCloud user you get any and all security features of LiveDrive. Security? Check. So just based on the fact BeeCloud is a LiveDrive reseller, it appears this offer is worth a look. However, before you jump on this, just keep in mind you are dealing with a reseller of LiveDrive here, not LiveDrive themselves. (A reseller whom, I may add, isn’t the most polished. In their FAQs they referred to themselves as LiveDrive, presumably because they copied and pasted from LiveDrive’s FAQs and forgot to change the name; when signing up you are asked to pick a username, but if the username is taken already you are automatically assigned a generic username without you ever being given a chance to try a different one; and in the confirmation e-mail you are sent after registering an account, your password is shown in plain-text…) The difference may be subtle but it is significant: LiveDrive can at any time terminate BeeCloud in which case you lose everything. So think twice ten times before you go gaga over this offer.

If you have made up your mind to go with BeeCloud, then you should know the following:

• You will be able to access your files via the web (there is a desktop and mobile version of LiveDrive’s website), on a PC/Mac (there is a desktop program for PC/Mac), and on your iPad, iPhone, or Android device (there are apps for that).
• 30 revisions are kept of each file you upload onto BeeCloud, allowing you to go back to previous versions if you want.
• Free accounts do not allow for sharing files. In other words, you can only download files from your account if you are logged in with your username and password — you cannot let others download your files, like how you can with files on Dropbox.
• BeeCloud is for “personal use” only.

To get 512 GB of cloud storage for free from BeeCloud simply hit up the registration link below. Once you register you will get an e-mail from bart@beecoders.com with subject of BeeCloud.eu, Orderconfirmation and install instructions which will have information on how to access your BeeCloud/LiveDrive account. [Note: There is no specific time limit on how long 512 GB free accounts are available, but if history is any indication, BeeCloud may disable registration for free accounts after a certain amount of users register.]

BeeCloud Free Account Registration Page

Thanks WobblyWombat!