kDrive became the online service I'm using to store my files. Explanations.
Have an online storage (also called "drive") is more and more useful. This post will expose my experience about kDrive from Infomaniak.
Before, this post is not affiliated nor sponsored. Also, this is not an exploitation manual for kDrive.
Context
As a web user from my childhood (2001 to be precise), I quickly exploit free online files storage services. It began with an FTP (perso.free.fr pages) and a migration to dedicated servers or VPS, shared hostings... I did several tries over the years.
When Google announces its online storage service (Google Drive), I did not see the point nor understand the principle. With the evolution of usage, this online service became useful in my daily life.
In the past, I used to exploit Google (Gdrive) and Microsoft (OneDrive) services, as well as free tier or paid versions (monthly). Because I'm an IT sysops, I was able to set up these services for professional customers, with specific usage and a need for security and confidentiality.
Genesis of migration
For many years, Google and Microsoft services (among others) store your files on its servers and can access them if needed, because of the patriot act.
With much news about IT security and data usage since 2014, related to sell-out of our information and metadata to too many third, forces me to think about it and find new services less intrusive.
Also, I wanted to change my mind and my tools, simply to see other things. There are many online services to store your files, like Dropbox, MEGA, pCloud, Backblaze...
I finally find and choose kDrive of Infomaniak, a Swiss firm which has an attraction more and more important for me.
Before migrate, I look into interoperability. The goal is to use the service on any device and any operating system, data must be accessible anywhere and offline without restrictions.
Presentation of Infomaniak and kDrive
Before 2000, Infomaniak was a Swiss IT enthusiast's club ; their protagonists ended up to create an IT shop and expand it to website and domains hosting. Their offers will be extended by streaming and radios services to become the no.1 in Europe. After, new services like kDrive, kMeet, hosted Synology NAS or housing and dedicated servers came to their market.
Infomaniak is fully owner of 3 datacenters in Swiss. They fully control hardware and software. In place more than 15 years in the cloud environment, I'll show you« kDrive ».
Headquarters and technical centre are based in Swiss (Geneva), ethical is more enjoyable with the need of private life we face today.
Like its competitors, Infomaniak offers a free and paid service (monthly or annual subscription) according to your needs and capacity. I took an annual subscription for kDrive "solo" (€6 TTC monthly, approx. €65 annually). Account creation is free and give you access to a free mailbox with @ik.me.
kDrive solo paid subscription is 2 To of storage, very sufficient for many needs. This volume allows me to store my files and backups. There are no limits about the data stored (except for explicitly illegal files).
- Text files can be opened in kDrive thanks to OnlyOffice.
- Media files like pictures, videos or music can be viewed/listened directly from storage, without any software
- Because of online storage, you can create share links (read only or read/write) for folders and files
- A recycle bin and files version are activated
How did that happen ? What are the needs ?
I am not a big consumer ; my needs of storage is about 50 GB. All I need is to have my storage easily next to me, on any devices or OS, anytime.
For the moment, I don't use "Calendar" or "Notes" functionalities. They are available with your mail @ik.me.
Go from one cloud to another was simple : a copy/paste between folders (from cloud folder 1 to cloud folder 2) and it's done !
On PC
On a notebook or my battle station, no problem. I used kDrive on Windows 11, Arch Linux or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS without problems.
Installations are easy, exploitation too. After many months of usage, I have no errors or synchronization problem, nor even corrupted files. There is an option to select which folders you want to synchronize - this can be useful if you don't have a lot of storage on your machine.
On mobile
I have an iDevice, kDrive app is free and easily installable. Connected with my @ik.me account, exploitation is simple and fast.
I activated an option about my photos : today on mobiles, you can sync automatically your taken pictures in your kDrive. When your pictures are synchronized on your kDrive, it can be deleted on your phones to save some storage space. Also, you can migrate your previous taken pictures to your kDrive.
Every day, I am using the mobile application, especially for my .kbdx file : never had a problem. Adopted and validated.
Small aside : you need to open kDrive app on your mobile to synchronize your files. There is no push synchronization for the moment on iPhone for kDrive - IT staff of Infomaniak knew it and work hard on it.
Verdict after many months
NO problem, no logout nor corrupted data. Everything is OK, even with (too) many OS reinstallations. I am very satisfied of kDrive.
I strongly recommend you to use kDrive if you really want to have an effective and ethic online storage, reliable, not too pricey considering quality. Account creation is here = https://welcome.infomaniak.com/signup/ikdrive/steps (non-affiliate).
Why not use a dedicated server or self-hosting ?
Having a dedicated server is rewarding. Having a dedicated server is technically rewarding, between the management of the OS and services, the security to implement and refine over time...
One time, a colleague told me:
I don't want to waste time at home to configure machines and services ; I already do it a lot at work and I prefer to chill at home with services I can trust in.
Costs question is real : have a dedicated server can be expensive, if you consider the hardware or the energy used. Also, the investment of time / money is bad (in my opinion) for this type of service. In the long term, it is more interesting to rent a service like kDrive for file storage.
