Thought they were cash profitable??
Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
51–60 of 215 posts
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think we need a better storage backup system. I've got data on iCloud and on multiple desktops and laptops. My iCloud doesn't have all the photos because I'd run out of space and be paying dozens of dollars monthly [1]. I was helping my friend to select a disk backup solution a while ago, and not that many really came to my likings. Backblaze[2] is probably the only one I would say pretty good for a monthly backup…
It's $20/month for unlimited storage on Dropbox.
Does anything stop you from uploading 10s or 100s of TB? I recently crossed 1TB of storage use on S3 (which costs around $20/month) and am in the process of exploring alternatives.
I've never really understood how companies can offer "unlimited" storage at low prices.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do they need to expand beyond that? Am I idealistic to say a company can survive just by doing something really well. Salesforce is hardly a paragon of a well-executed clear and consistent vision. I pay Dropbox because I can rely on their backups any place at any time, not because their storage is cheap.
A company with a modest valuation can survive by doing one thing and doing it well. A company with a very large valuation needs either very large sales figures OR large growth potential. Dropbox is squarely in the second category, which is why they need to keep expanding.
Surely if the company isn't "living up to it's valuation" that's a problem for the people who erroneously valued it at that level, not for the company?
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#54Dropbox for Business has really changed my view of Dropbox the company. With AzureAD SSO integration, and the new Smart Sync feature, it's now possible to run a small company completely in the cloud, with terabytes of data in the cloud accessible to everyone without them synching it all to their laptop. Smart Sync is their game changer.
This. Many people fail to see just how well Dropbox works for business that want a reliable, user friendly cloud storage solution. Sure its "just" a file sharing solution, but they do it really really well.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#55Lots of negativity in here, but I'll say I really enjoy how incredibly simple Dropbox is and has remained since it launched. It's so easy to explain how it works to my non-techie parents ("It's just another folder on your computer, except it backs up your data automatically"). I hope Dropbox continues to thrive.
I agree. It just works, and it works really well. My only complaint is that they don't yet have Smart Sync [1] (aka Project Infinite) for premium home users.
I love it though, and I use Cryptomater [2] to sync my docs folder across machines without having it be on Dropbox's servers in the clear.
[1] https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/30/dropbox-launches-smart-sy...
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
A company with a modest valuation can survive by doing one thing and doing it well. A company with a very large valuation needs either very large sales figures OR large growth potential. Dropbox is squarely in the second category, which is why they need to keep expanding.
Surely if the company isn't "living up to it's valuation" that's a problem for the people who erroneously valued it at that level, not for the company?
The people who erroneously valued it are shareholders in the company, the company exists to benefit its shareholders, ergo (the shareholders would say) it's a problem for the company.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's bewildering to me how a company can have $1B in revenue and not able to make file-syncing profitable.
Why? Amazon made billions in revenue for years and only recently became profitable.
And that was purely a tax-avoidance strategy. Top employees have always been compensated via stock instead of any form of profit sharing. Now that Amazon literally can't spend their money quickly enough, they're doing stock buybacks for the exact same reason: it's a technique to distribute dividends without causing a taxable event.
We'll see when Dropbox files whether or not they are executing the same strategy. My guess is they are, since it's hard for me to believe you can't attain profitability on $1B in revenue for a file-syncing platform.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think we need a better storage backup system. I've got data on iCloud and on multiple desktops and laptops. My iCloud doesn't have all the photos because I'd run out of space and be paying dozens of dollars monthly [1]. I was helping my friend to select a disk backup solution a while ago, and not that many really came to my likings. Backblaze[2] is probably the only one I would say pretty good for a monthly backup…
It's $20/month for unlimited storage on Dropbox.
AFAICT only if you buy 3 licenses minimum.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's bewildering to me how a company can have $1B in revenue and not able to make file-syncing profitable.
Why? Amazon made billions in revenue for years and only recently became profitable.
>"Why? Amazon made billions in revenue for years and only recently became profitable."
Do you think the complexity of Amazon and Dropbox are even in the same universe?
Disclaimer: I like both companies.
Re: Dropbox Secures $600M Credit Line Ahead of Expected IPO
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do they need to expand beyond that? Am I idealistic to say a company can survive just by doing something really well. Salesforce is hardly a paragon of a well-executed clear and consistent vision. I pay Dropbox because I can rely on their backups any place at any time, not because their storage is cheap.
The main problem is that, if they wanted to, it shouldn't take Apple/Microsoft/Google/Amazon too much work to put out a comparable product and offer it for free. As an anecdote, my girlfriend already cancelled her Dropbox account because iCloud provides what she needs at a much cheaper cost. Personally, I require Unix support and also use a large portion of the terabyte of space, but I'd bet that the majority of user…
You'd think so, but it's not that easy.
Even the big service providers, like Dropbox and Microsoft have run into issues of scale that result in price increases or reduced storage quotas, later in the product cycle, forced onto existing customers. Typically a result of poor early planning or lack of insight into actual resources required per user.
Or bait and switch to grow fast quickly.
Dropbox, recently (quietly) raised prices on their Business plan, forcing existing Business customers to choose between a fixed storage space quota or a price increase. The decision will be forced on users on renewal in 2018, which is why we haven't heard much about this yet. https://9to5mac.com/2017/01/30/dropbox-smart-sync-and-paper/
Microsoft had to do similar a year ago. Forcing all users off their unlimited plan, and reducing storage quotas for free users. It was painful. http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-onedrive-un...
At the same time you've got a race to the bottom from big companies targeting the consumer market. These providers most likely have no hope of generating revenue directly from the cloud storage itself, and instead use cloud storage as a loss leader for other channels and products.
For example, Google integrating free "unlimited" photo storage into their products, Apple iCloud integration and significant price cuts. If these loss leading experiments fail there will be another round of forced price increases or reduced storage quotas. Only time will tell.
So far it's a good bet against "Unlimited" free services:
Near-Unlimited Cloud Storage Service Copy.com Is Shutting Down: http://lifehacker.com/near-unlimited-cloud-storage-service-c...
Bitcasa kills infinite cloud storage plans, increases pricing as much as 10x http://www.geek.com/apps/bitcasa-kills-infinite-cloud-storag...
Then you've got Amazon cloud drive, offering unlimited Storage, but only for non-commercial personal use, with all sorts of restrictions. Sole practitioners and small businesses not welcome.
Using Your Files with the Services. You may use the Services only to store, retrieve, manage, organize, and access Your Files for personal, non-commercial purposes using the features and functionality we make available. You may not use the Services to store, transfer, or distribute content of or on behalf of third parties, to operate your own file storage application or service, to operate a photography business or other commercial service ...
And this open-ended goodie:
The Services are offered in the United States. We may restrict access from other locations. There may be limits on the types of content you can store and share using the Services, such as file types we do not support, and on the number or type of devices you can use to access the Services. We may impose other restrictions on use of the Services.
https://www.amazon.com/cd/tou??ref_=cd_unlimited_tou
And finally most consumer grade cloud providers offer little protection in terms of encryption. Google, Amazon and Microsoft might get big brother on your data. You might even have real people looking at your files for whatever reason.
Our Use of Your Files. We may use, access, and retain Your Files in order to provide the Services to you, enforce the terms of the Agreement, and improve our services, and you give us all permissions we need to do so. These permissions include, for example, the rights to copy Your Files, modify Your Files to enable access in different formats, use information about Your Files to organize them on your behalf, and access Your Files to provide technical support https://www.amazon.com/cd/tou??ref_=cd_unlimited_tou
Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored. https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/
Big brother with good intentions:
Microsoft Anti-Porn Workers Sue Over PTSD - ex-employees of the company’s online safety team say they had to watch horrific online videos of child abuse, bestiality, and murders—and that Microsoft ignored their PTSD. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/11/microsoft-a...
Finally, as a few others in this thread have stated, the underlying technology behind syncing and sharing is quite complicated. Cross-platform compatibility and maintaining backwards compatibility with older operating systems is mind boggling difficult.
In this regard in might be better to choose a cloud provider that offers end-to-end encryption, and has been in business for more than a few years (to ensure they've got the business model worked out).
Here's a few that come to mind:
https://www.spideroak.com https://www.sync.com https://www.tresorit.com