Why Is Cloud Storage a Good Idea?

When you hear “cloud data storage,” do you imagine data floating around above you in the clouds? If so, you’re not alone. What many people don’t realize is cloud data is actually stored on hard drives similar to how data is typically stored.

But if cloud data storage is just like conventional data storage, is it any really any better or different?

Cloud Storage Offers Greater Accessibility

Rather than storing data directly on a personal laptop hard drive or phone, cloud storage services offer the ability to store data elsewhere, typically on servers owned by large companies. The information is easily accessible to you by the internet.

Often, when people think of cloud storage, they think of public internet clouds run by Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. If you have a Gmail account, use Microsoft Office,or store files on Dropbox, you’re already using cloud storage services. Other consumer services which store your social media posts, photos or music include Facebook, Twitter, and Apple iTunes are also using cloud storage.

These companies have computer servers and storage devices connected with computer networking equipment capable spanning the entire globe. Take for example Facebook. They allow over one billion people interact with them. Your profile data is stored in a regional data center, typically close to where you live.

In addition, companies can have their own private cloud storage for employees and customers to access private networks online. This allows organizations to keep their information controlled and secure.

Cloud Storage Offers More Efficiencies

Aside from just storage, cloud computing allows information to be processed differently with special software enabling workloads to be shared between different machines. For example, your Facebook photos won’t be in one spot, they may move across several computers. When workloads are shared, computers can work closer to full capacity with different programs running at the same time. This creates greater efficiencies than singular computers doing one job at a time.

For those running the computers, the physical location of data or programs doesn’t really matter. If one machine fails, the operation moves to a different part of the system to reduce downtime.

Cloud Storage Offers Better Security

With cloud computing used everywhere these days, many people are concerned about security. We hear all the time about hackers gaining access to personal information for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of consumers. What most people don’t realize is that most attacks are on traditional servers. None of the biggest hacks have been on public clouds. Your data may actually be safer in the cloud than in traditional storage.

Large public cloud companies work with some of the world’s best computer scientists from the National Security Agency and Stanford University to protect cloud data storage through security measures and data encryption. And so far, they’ve done a pretty good job keeping things safe online.

Interested in cloud storage services for your organization? Try Datera’s free demo or contact us for more information.