As many businesses moving from local to cloud storage, it has become a rapidly growing field. You will get affordable rates, many benefits, and convenient access across multiple devices with cloud storage. It is easy to see why cloud storage is quickly becoming the industry standard. Before we discuss how cloud storage works, let’s have a brief idea 

What is Cloud Storage?

Cloud storage allows us to store data remotely and access it from any device through the internet. This way, it increases productivity and efficiency. You can also backup data safely through a cloud way. It leverages plenty of benefits for businesses as they use a large amount of data that they can store using cloud storage and pay only for what they use. Besides, cloud storage makes collaboration and data sharing easier without over-investing.

Cloud storage is a brilliant medium for file sharing too. As most cloud storage providers look similar in terms of their services, it is very confusing to decide which one to select for your purpose. Here are some tips that may be helpful in this context – you must look for services that would include –

• Collaboration
• Security. In case the service provider does not provide end-to-end encryption, they need to encrypt the data and transfer it to the cloud.
• Usability
• Support provided by the providers
• What platform are you using, like Windows, Mac, iPhones, Androids, BlackBerry, etc.

Related post – Top 10 Free cloud storage services

Why should I switch to cloud storage?

The most obvious reason to switch to cloud storage is its flexibility which is lacking over most local storage. There are different cloud providers who offer different subscriptions, and also they provide you the option to increase or decrease your storage limits as needed. So, with the cloud storage option, there is a higher rate of scalability than most on-site storage methods.

Additionally, you will get an extra measure for redundancy check in most cloud storage. So, there is less chance of losing documents. On the contrary, if you store files on the local hard drive, data loss, theft, or damage is higher. In the case of cloud storage, data remains distributed and duplicated across multiple servers. So, it is highly unlikely that your data will be lost.

How Does Cloud Storage Work?

The primary two things in cloud storage are one data server and the internet. The user sends files either manually or automatically to the server via the internet. The data server then forwards the information to multiple servers. You can access the stored data through a web-based interface.

Availability is one of the prime criteria of the cloud. So, in a cloud storage system, there are vast numbers of data servers that ensure availability. So, even if one server requires maintenance and remains down, data is replicated in other servers. So, there is no issue related to availability.

The data in the public cloud can be replicated in different physical locations for fault tolerance and disaster recovery purposes. However, the primary location tends to be nearer to the company’s site for faster data processing. This also reduces the cost.

Cloud storage management trends continue to unfold, with more companies extending out to the cloud. Public cloud service providers manage public clouds. Their infrastructure and services include:

• Servers
• Networking
• Storage
• Data center operations

You can provision your resources in cloud data storage in the following ways:

• End users can provision it using a web interface that are paying for capacity on a per-transaction basis
• By users who specify pre-determined capacity which is prepared in advance of the service. The customer then pays for the service monthly or pays a flat fee.
• By the service provider, which allocates resources dynamically as needed. Payment is on a pay-per-use basis.

As noted above, based on the usage, the pricing can vary. Not only usage, but it can also depend on a number of factors, including the service provider, capacity required, length of time required, etc.

Types of Cloud Storage

There are four general types of cloud storage: 

· personal cloud storage

· private cloud storage

· public cloud storage

· hybrid cloud storage

Personal cloud storage

Personal cloud storage implies a network-attached device that allows users to store different types of personal data. Examples of cloud storage include text, photos, graphics, video, and music. The user owns and controls the device and can access it from anywhere via the internet. The device is really a personal cloud drive.

Private cloud storage

Private cloud storage uses on-premises storage servers controlled by the company that owns them. Like public cloud storage and data centers, private cloud storage takes advantage of virtual machines.

Private clouds tend to be used by organizations that want the flexibility and scalability of cloud storage, albeit under the direct control and management of the company which owns it. Organizations concerned about security may prefer managing their own cloud storage systems architecture as opposed to using a public cloud.

Public cloud storage

Public cloud storage is available from a third party as a service. Amazon AWS Cloud Storage, Microsoft Azure Cloud Storage, and Google Cloud Storage tend to be popular among enterprises. These public cloud storage options are available as a service. The infrastructure is built, owned, managed and maintained by the cloud storage providers. Many cloud storage websites can also be found online.

Hybrid cloud storage

Hybrid cloud storage combines public cloud, private cloud, and data center as an organization prefers. It typically combines resources that are owned and managed by the enterprise with public cloud storage services that a third party manages. Enterprises combine the two approaches to balance the need for securing mission-critical assets with the elasticity, scalability, and cost advantages public cloud storage provides.

Public vs. Private Cloud

Public and private clouds both take advantage of cloud computing and storage technologies. However, there are some differences worth considering:

• Ownership and control – public cloud storage resources are owned and controlled by third-party service providers; private cloud infrastructure is owned and controlled in-house
• Upgrades included or not – public cloud storage includes upgrades; private clouds do not
• Shared versus dedicated resources – public cloud storage infrastructure is shared by a population of users; private cloud storage is dedicated to the company that owns it
• Degree of security – cloud security is a debatable point. Some consider public clouds less secure than private clouds. However, organizations with limited IT resources may prefer to rely on the cloud storage service provider’s security expertise.
• Resiliency – public cloud storage replicates data; a natural disaster could destroy private clouds in a single location.