Cloud Computing — Ensuring Your Projects Are Never Late Or Compromised
Merriam Webster defines cloud storage as “The computers and connections that support practice of storing regularly used computer data on multiple servers that can be accessed through the Internet”
As a student and freelance employee, there have been occasions where I could not submit my project due to misplacing my usb drive, or the file being corrupted from removing the usb drive without safely ejecting it first. The simplest way to describe cloud storage is the usb drive you will never lose. It is an internet based storage solution that allows the user to store any type of file format. Examples include documents, spreadsheets, presentations, to music, videos, CAD drawings and beyond. Key features of cloud storage are redundancy and access.
Let’s say you have a 4 GB usb drive with files you are working on for a project. If the usb were to go missing (or crash), you lose those files forever unless you had a backup on a different drive. Unfortunately, the backup would not be up to date.
Another thing to consider is that your files are on one usb drive. If you go to work without that usb drive, there is absolutely no way to access the files you want.
Cloud storage solves this by continuously syncing your files to a web-based server. This allows multiple revisions of your file to be accessed through the most popular operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux, and mobile platforms such as Android, and iOS) so long as you have a stable internet connection.
Modern cloud storage systems allow you to view and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations within a web browser without the need to install software. This allows you to work on your project in a familiar setting without the worry of a computer crash wiping out your information. It is even possible for real time collaboration on projects.This means anyone with access can help work on your project simultaneously with you. The file access can be shared with collaborators through a link you create. This link can allow those without the cloud storage account to view or edit the file. Modern cloud storage solutions are also encrypted allowing an ease of mind that your files are secure on the internet.
Google Drive is a form of cloud storage that allows cloud editing using the Google Doc, Google Sheets, and Google Slides. When working on your project using Google’s web based office solution, you get the benefit of Auto saving. This means that you never have to worry about hitting save, and you having access to previous versions of your file. Another perk of Google Drive is using Google’s famous search engine to find specific files buried in folders due to its indexing function.
All Google accounts offer 15 GB of cloud storage on their servers for free. If users want more storage, the pricing is as follows: 100 GB for $2.79 a month, 1TB for $13.99 a month, and 10TB for $139.99 a month (power users can pay for 20 TB and 30 TB at $279.99 and $419.99 a month, respectively).
Microsoft’s One Drive is a form of cloud storage that allows cloud editing using Office Online, an online version of the Microsoft Office Suite allowing access to a simplified Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote. Users of Office 365,can gain full access to the Microsoft Office Suite over the cloud, or installed on a computer. One advantage of OneDrive are expiring links, which increases the security of your storage by setting an expiration date for the links to files and media you’ve shared. This allows for a more control approach to your file’s privacy as users cannot access it after a determined time, even with a link.
All Microsoft accounts offer 5 GB of free storage on their servers, including access to Online Office. Users who want more storage can pay $2.99 a month for 50 GB. Users who which to purchase (or already own) Office 365 can choose to pay $8 monthly for 1 TB of storage, or $11 monthly for 5 TB of storage. It is important to note that these options are only available with an Office 365 subscription.
Now that you have a basic understanding of cloud storage and two options, allow me to tell two cautionary tales for why it is useful as a student, and a professional employee.
As a student, I was working on my first university level essay on my laptop in the library. Things were going great, I only had one more paragraph to complete before I had to hand in my paper. And then, all of a sudden, my laptop shut down. I learned days later that the motherboard was fried, but at the moment, I thought I lost all of my work on my essay. I did use a usb drive plugged into my computer, but that was fried too. You can never trust a building’s electricity it seems. Fortunately for me, I had purchased Office 2013 at the beginning of the semester and had One Drive syncing my files in the background. I packed up my laptop and rushed to a computer lab. After logging in, I was relieved to find out that my essay was synced and only missing the last paragraph I typed. Two paragraphs later and my assignment was submitted on time.
As a professional theatre technician, I was tasked with drafting specific set elements for a production in Vectorworks. The preliminary design review was the next day, and I was adding last minute touches and formatting to the CAD file. At this time I was using Google Drive since my university offered 1 TB of storage with my tuition, which was great as my file was approximately 2.3 GB and growing. After 7 hours of work and saving every 15 minutes, a glitch occurred in my CAD software. The set drawing was out of scale and disproportionate to the stage. I tried every option I could of re scaling, and hitting undo. Unfortunately I had saved to recent and the software would not revert back to before the glitch occurred. Fortunately, Google Drive was continuously syncing the file every time it updated. I went to look at the file’s history and found a copy only one hour old. I downloaded it, and to my joy, it was perfectly functional. After quickly drafting, I was able to export my final designs to present.
These are my experiences which convinced me that cloud storage is the best alternative to a usb drive. Constant syncing of your files gives a backlog of versions to access, and they can be accessed anywhere the internet is available. There are many cloud storage solutions available for you to explore, I found that Google Drive and One Drive are great, collaborative solutions for free that are best suited towards students and employees.
