Cloud storage platforms are becoming more necessary day by day. This is because of the viability offered through offsite management of resources. For personal use, time and resources can be saved which increases convenience. For business, saving time and resources means saving money.
When choosing such a web based cloud platform, a number of factors should be considered. These factors include cost, security, ease in access, ease in use, or say cloud storage capacity.
Cloud storage capacity is an important factor to consider when choosing a cloud storage platform. From the wide number of options available, choosing the right one can be quite confusing.
Increasing Trend towards Cloud Computing
In this era of technological advancement, every person is generating a tremendous amount of data daily. With the increase in the data, the importance of its storage, protection and security is also getting a necessity.
Cloud computing can be defined as a feature within the internet. It allows data to be processed and stored online, eliminating a need for physical computing systems. Because of the ease it provides, more users are adopting it every day. As the number of users on the cloud increases, it is important to know how much data on the cloud exists at this point. A recent study estimates that over 1 Exabyte of data exists on the cloud today. It’s hard to even equate that figure to any real-life example.
The majority of this stored data files on the cloud are less than 10 MB in size. This means that the majority of users today are uploading small files such as photos, videos and other system data in the cloud.
It’s important to know this when considering where a majority of internet traffic lies today. It indicates that the majority of the users are shifting towards the cloud. Given this fact, the capacity available to store data on the cloud becomes an important factor to be considered.
Understanding your Storage Requirements
Opting for a cloud based service means first differentiating between a cloud storage service and cloud backup service. While both exist within the context of the cloud, they are two different storage systems.
If a user wishes to store or backup data on a cloud platform for personal use, cloud storage platforms present the best option. This is because the user here does not require large storage capacity and the file size is usually small. File types usually associated with personal use include documents, photos or videos. Cloud storage services usually offer a web based platform where user can manually upload data in the cloud.
For businesses, cloud storage platforms might not be viable. This is because a majority of these services offer limited storage space. This can be a problem because of the large amount of data involved. Cloud backup services are dedicated entirely in keeping your data backed up on the cloud. A software usually exists for this purpose which automates the backup process. Cloud backup services offer unlimited storage space to handle the large amount of data being processed. This helps businesses in case data is lost, as all of the data can be recovered.
It’s beneficial for businesses to adopt cloud backup services, as they help secure a disaster recovery plan.
Scalability in Cloud Storage Capacity
In the past, storing data meant considering resources and management abilities. This is because storage was limited to physical storage mediums. Businesses especially would have to plan in advance a strategy for when this storage space would run out.
The primary factor shifting users towards the cloud is the ability to scale. While physical storage systems limit the amount of data that can be availed, cloud storage removes this problem. On the cloud, users can simply buy more storage space.
Capitalizing on Storage Capacity through Private Cloud Storage
Businesses require large amounts of storage space to meet demand. This demand is usually in the form of new data being created during workflows. The data preserved earlier has to be kept safe so it is not lost in the future. Furthermore, businesses also have to consider the option to cut cost. Paying for more storage space can also present a problem when this cost adds up long term.
One solution for businesses is to consider private cloud storage. Here, a company manages its own data center to run a private cloud service. To understand, a cloud platform is a virtual machine that exists through servers on the back-end. These servers are managed by the vendor when a third-party cloud storage service is used. Data centers host a number of servers according to storage demand. Businesses can plan and analyze their storage demands for the near future, and form a data center on their own. This helps because now the organization has access to the storage infrastructure, with reduced cost.
Public cloud services such as Microsoft Azure, Backup Everything and Amazon Web Services (AWS) give multiple parties access to the data. But with a private cloud service, only the business will have access to the cloud.
To the workforce of the organization, a platform can be provided in the form of a software. Businesses will now have the option to customize the software according to their needs. The platform created can house a number of features as the business sees fit. For example, a business can also automate the process of data access. Protocols can be set to let only a selected number of employees to access sensitive data while restricting access to everyone else. Mobile apps can also be created to access the data. Therefore, private cloud storage is clearly a beneficial platform for businesses to increase storage capacity and security while saving cost.
Cloud Computing and Effective Approach towards Cloud Storage Capacity
