Manage multiple online storage accounts from one place with Otixo

Manage multiple online storage accounts from one place with Otixo:

Do you have files on multiple cloud storage accounts (e.g. multiple Dropbox accounts, Box.net, Google Documents, Picasa, even FTP and others) that you would like to manage from a single interface? If so, this service is for you. Otixo is a free online service that will connect with multiple cloud storage accounts and present them to you in a single, easy to use dialog. It allows you to perform all of the usual operations of copying, renaming, sharing, and uploading, but will also let you do this across accounts (cutting a file from Dropbox and pasting it into your Box.net account, for example).

Otixo can be mapped as a network drive in Windows explorer, bringing desktop integration to all of your cloud storage services. At the time of this writing Otixo supports Dropbox, Box.net, Picasa, MobileMe, SugarSync, FTP, WebDav, Amazon S3 and Google Docs.

Otixo is a web app, similar to recently mentioned Joukuu lite which provides a a centralized interface where all of your different cloud storage accounts can be accessed and managed. The various accounts are listed in the left sidebar, and you can move across these and perform file copying, moving, and other operations just as you would in Windows explorer.

My favorite thing about Otixo? See the ‘the verdict’ section below.

Some notes on this service:

• File operations: you can move across cloud accounts as if they were folders, and perform the following operations: copy, cut, rename and delete, as well as ‘share file’, ‘preview’ and ‘download’.


• Upload: can be done into any of your accounts. Right click ‘upload’ on a blank area and a dialog will appear for the purpose.


• Multiple accounts from the same service: have multiple Dropbox accounts or multiple accounts from other services? No problem, Otixo can list and manage these without hitch.


• Viewing files: MS Office files and PDF files can automatically be viewed with Google Docs; image files are viewed within Otixo itself, viewing of other files (text files, video files, etc.) does not seem to be supported.


• Search box: works great, although you have to select a single account to search in the sidebar first.


• FTP: can connect to an FTP server.


• File sharing: right click on any file and select ‘share’.


• Mapping Otixo as a local drive: can be easily accomplished. Click on the ‘Otixo on your desktop’ link for the (very brief) instructions.


• File Sharing: is very interesting, because it is done via the Otixo service itself (i.e. gives you an Otixo URL). You can add an optional password and an optional expiry date. Of course, you could also share files from within each cloud service individually.

Wish list: (or how this software can be even better)

• To make it easier to add multiple accounts of the same service: this is certainly supported and I did it, but it is somewhat confusing; in a separate browser window, you have to manually log out of one dropbox account and log into the next one before clicking ‘add Dropbox account’, and it will work


• SkyDrive support: I would very much like my SkyDrive account to be in there as well.


• Folder sharing: while you can easily share files with Otixo, folder sharing does not seem to be supported. Of course, you can go into the individual services and share folders, but I wish it could be done right from Otixo.


• Apps for iPhone and Android: naturally.

The verdict: a wonderful app. Once you get all of the different services up there you will start wondering why something like this hadn’t come around sooner. I love that it also supports FTP.

But the best thing I like about Otixo is that when you move files from one cloud service to another, it doesn’t seem to be downloaded locally first; in other words, Otixo grabs the file and uploads it on it’s own server. It does not waste your bandwidth with redundant uploading and downloading.

Although Otixo can be mapped as a local drive, it doesn’t quite attempt to integrate cloud storage with the desktop in the same ambitious way that say Joukuu lite does and KumoSync tries to do for Google Docs; however it makes more intuitive sense than either of those, in my opinion, and in any case it is my favorite of the bunch.

Tested on: Windows 7 64 bit and Chrome

Compatibility: requires a modern browser. Desktop integration is supported for both Windows and Mac.

Go to the Otixo web site to sign up.