The increase in the number of users on the internet has brought with it rapid change. As innovation leads to new services and technologies being introduced every day, user convenience has been held as the top priority. This means that companies focus more and more on increasing convenience. New technologies have to be introduced that save time and resources.
Cloud storage is one such service that aims to do just that. This is done through offsite management of data, which aims to save cost and efficiently manage information. In essence, cloud storage is replacing traditional physical storage mediums within digital devices. But which cloud storage service should you choose? A number of factors should be considered.
To choose a cloud storage service that meets your requirements, cost will play the most important role. While some services offer limited free storage capacity, keeping large amounts of data on the cloud will cost money. But, the pros outweigh the cons when compared with physical storage mediums.
To elaborate, let us give a detailed analysis of why cloud storage is important, and which service meets your budget.
The Value of your Data
It’s not that hard to quantify the value of your data. In today’s age, your data stored on digital devices holds actual value that can result in a financial loss if its lost. Every businesses nowadays plan how to back up important information because a loss of valuable information can cost companies millions. Even for your personal information, it is important to keep a backup. This is because our reliance on digital devices grows and it can be hard to keep track of the information being saved on them.
Due to this importance of data, choosing a medium to store this information should be well thought out. Before the widespread use of the internet, physical storage mediums proved to be beneficial. But, now you can store all of your information on the cloud which are extremely resourceful.
Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage Services
Cloud computing refers to the use of the internet to process information. Data centers on the backend help create a virtual space online where information can be stored. Even excluding storage, cloud computing can be used to process data and run entire applications. Its use is becoming more widespread as it proves more reliable and resourceful every day. Users can save cost and time by avoiding any on-site management of a physical infrastructure.
Cloud storage is a model within cloud computing which helps store information. Imagine a hard drive where your data is stored. In case of any harm to the hard drive, you will have no way of recovering this information. But, if this data was stored on the cloud, the chances of this information being lost would be very low. This is because multiple copies of the same file are kept on different servers. So, if the file is lost from one server, a copy still exists elsewhere.
Cloud storage holds a number of advantages. For one, the issue of limited storage capacity is removed. While an external hard drive or clone would be limited be storage space, cloud storage is not. If your data starts to exceed the physical storage medium, you would have to spend extra money on a new one. But, cloud storage is different. Users can simply purchase more storage space on the cloud to meet their demand. This is also budget friendly as you only spend as much as you need on storage space.
Another advantage of cloud storage is easy access to information. A physical storage medium would limit easy access to information. But, you can view the same information on the cloud through different devices. For example, a user can remotely access the data through a mobile app or through desktop apps. This makes sharing files much easier.
It also helps keep a backup in a reliable manner. This can be extremely important to a business because a loss of information can cost actual money. This is why business plans for backup are important. In this regard, cloud storage proves to be more efficient than physical storage mediums.
But, the primary advantage presents itself in cost saving. Let us explain.
Affordability and Choosing a Cheap Cloud Storage Service
Cost presents itself as the most significant factor when choosing a cloud storage service. Mostly, companies such as Google Drive provide a limited amount of free storage space. This can help users test the quality of service and whether it fits their requirements. After a number of services are tested for value, a comparison has to be made for cost according to file sizes.
With OneDrive, users are given 15 GB worth of free storage space. But, if the requirements for amount of storage are higher, you can spend money on more space. The most basic plan starts at $1.99 a month, which offers 100 GB of storage. For $3.99 a month, users are given 200 GB. If requirements are even higher than this, users ca purchase 1 TB of storage for $6.99 a month. The 1 TB of storage would also include Office365.
Google Drive offers 15 GB of free space for storage, and is linked to your Google Account. For $1.99 a month, users can purchase 100 GB of space. For $9.99 a month, the storage space given is 1 TB.
Unlike the first two, Dropbox also offers users with unlimited storage. Users are given 2 GB of free cloud storage space. For $9.99 a month, 1 TB of space can be purchased as part of the ‘Dropbox Pro’ package. ‘Dropbox Business’ offers users with unlimited storage for $15 a month. This can be advantageous for users who do not wish to worry about limited storage space.
Apple’s iCloud offers 5 GB of free storage and is also available for windows users. For $0.99, 20 GB of space can be purchased. For 200 GB, users will pay $3.99. The highest storage space of 1 TB offered can be purchased for $19.99.
The services described above list some of the most popular choices because of quality and reliability. Users can choose the option that they find the cheapest by comparing prices according to their requirements.
The Viability of the Cloud: Choosing a Cost-Effective Cloud Storage Service
