Learn How Cloud Storage Can Work For You

Cloud Storage is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Big name cloud storage providers such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Apple have taken an initiative to market their products well.

Some users are already taking advantage of cloud storage without even realizing. For example, Apple’s iCloud provides 5 GB of free storage space with an iCloud account. Apple uses this to automatically backup iPhones and insure that user data and photos are safe. Google does something similar for their Android products, allowing users to have a peace of mind if their devices gets damaged or lost.

So, you may be asking how does cloud storage work?

Without going into very technical details, we will provide a quick example that will help the average user understand the technology behind it.

Cloud storage, also known as cloud hosting, is a term used when data get stores on multiple webserver’s offsite. These web servers are all connected to the internet, allowing users to access data from anywhere in the world (as long as they have internet access).

Having multiple webservers handle your data helps with redundancy; as if one server fails then the others continue to host your data and keep it from being lost. Unlike traditional RAID (where 2 drives mirror each other), with cloud hosting, you won’t notice a server going down.

What are the disadvantages of cloud storage?

The biggest disadvantages has to do with the pricing. Having multiple servers be online costs the service provider a lot of fixed cost. First, you have to buy the servers then you have electrical bill, location rental fee, and technician fees.

2 TB of cloud storage space for your iPhone backups will cost you 10 dollars a month. Compare that to purchasing an external hard drive for only $50 or $60 dollars. However, if you are someone who has valuable data to keep safe then cloud storage is the best way to go.

Another drawback has to do with security and privacy. You are trusting your data to a third party provider and if the service gets hacked then unauthorized personnel may gain access to your data.

What type of data to store on the cloud?

I believe the most valuable data to be stored on the cloud differs from person to person. For example, a middle aged mother might want to have all her photos digitalized and backed up. A businessman might want all his tax documents, business expenses, receipts, client information, etc. to be backed up just in case he gets audited. A student might want to use cloud storage to back up their class assignments or even share large files with fellow students.

In conclusion, cloud hosting is making huge waves in the data storage world. Gone are the days where people had to rely on RAID backups to ensure their data is safe. Gone are the days when people had to carry around a portable hard drive or flash drive to transfer their data. Thanks to the internet and improvements in cloud hosting technology, people can store and retrieve their data from anywhere in the word.