All you need to know About Cloud storage
Many enterprises are moving away from local storage to cloud for data storage. This is due to the increasing volumes of data, the change in attitude in workplace and customer preferences.
Cloud storage allows you to store your data online and access it from anywhere, at any time. It is a service where data is maintained, managed and backed up remotely by the cloud storage provider. Individuals and companies purchase/ rent storage space from providers.
It is a reliable storage plan used by consumers and companies worldwide to store their data. It is preferred by many because of its low cost and it can act as a backup plan in case of data loss. There are so many cloud storage plans such as Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox and Icloud. Data can be uploaded as long as there is internet connectivity. The payment plans are on a monthly basis.
Some of the benefits of using cloud storage include:
Cost-effectiveness- companies that use cloud storage cut back on costs of purchasing hardware such as servers and also the cost of hiring staff to maintain the system. Furthermore, the company only pays for what it needs.It therefore becomes more affordable than in house servers allowing companies to focus resources in other areas of the business.
Accessibility- data stored in cloud can be accessed anywhere and on any device that is connected to the Internet.
Secure- most cloud storage service providers ensure that the data stored is kept safe and secure away from attackers and viruses. Most have antivirus and anti spam software that prevent unwanted emails.
Recovery- Data loss can happen to anyone at any time. This could be in the form of an employee mistake, natural disasters and server failure. By storing data on cloud you ensure that in case anything happens to your computer such as loss of files, you can use the data stored in cloud as backup and restore your files.
Greater Flexibility- With cloud, employees can achieve a greater work life balance as it offers the flexibility of working from anywhere. It also provides an efficient way for managers to monitor employees’ progress.
Scalability- If the organisation’s storage requirements increase or reduce, it is easy to scale with cloud.
Automatic updates- any changes made to the files is updated automatically.
Increased collaboration - Tools like Google Drive allow multiple people to edit a document/file and updates the changes made to the file in real time. This allows people who are not in the same location to collaborate on projects.
Provides tools- cloud storage comes with tools such as calendar, notes, event manager, contact manager which come in handy when managing tasks.
As much as cloud storage has many benefits, it has several weaknesses some of which are:
Costs- while cloud storage is cost efficient for small businesses and corporations, it is expensive for home users.
Internet connection- cloud storage relies on internet connectivity. If the internet speed is low, accessing files stored on cloud may be difficult.
Privacy- in the cloud storage model, there are issues with privacy mainly due to the fact that data is shared with a third party provider.
Cloud storage is not used to store highly sensitive and confidential data for institutions such as governments, military and banks. Such institutions use in house server to store their data.
When choosing a storage plan, companies must look at their organisational needs and choose a plan that best meets their requirements. The future of data storage is in cloud. Companies should therefore consider cloud for storing their data.
