Living in the modern era entails living with digital information. Data, or information that is written, read, and analyzed digitally, is what rules the current world. Believe it or not, data is everywhere nowadays. You would be hard-pressed to find a working system that doesn’t utilize data for maintenance, profit, or even its existence. Try to think of the most random things in life; you’ll soon find that data is required for them to work, and a lot of data is being stored and processed for them to keep running.
Take, for example, an intersection in a busy street. From traffic lights that coordinate together for cars and pedestrians alike to the strategic placements of advertisements on different billboards and malls and even the locations of stores and merchants, all of these things are run by data. Those traffic lights require precise timing and communication with each other in order to simply keep the road safe. Keeping the traffic light and moving is a different challenge altogether.
How, then, are all of these data being stored? Should you care? Which one should you use? Should you only rely on hard drives or employ more modern data storage and backup methods such as Veeam cloud backup? Well, for one, even you as an individual should at least learn about cloud storage. You might even be using one, even when you’re not aware of it!
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage is basically any type of data storage that is located somewhere other than the device you’re using and is accessed via the internet. This comes in handy because you can backup, store, and use data even if it’s not in your local storage. For example, cloud storage could backup the photos that were taken on your phone. They may be automatically backed up, so in the event that you lose your phone, you still have complete access to the photos.
What Are The Types Of Cloud Storage?
- Private cloud – This type of cloud storage and backup service involves a server that is only being used by one individual or organization. This means that you have nobody else to share the traffic with. This entails that the data traveling would be much faster since there’s no competition in uploading and downloading them. This also entails a high level of security, so this type of cloud is best for those who have sensitive information that needs to be kept someplace else.
- Public cloud – A public cloud, on the other hand, has many people and organizations using the same hardware. Of course, it is given that the other users could not access another’s files, but the traffic is surely more on this type. However, this also gives you the advantage of lesser costs, which makes it the best option for individuals and non-sensitive information users.
- Hybrid cloud – Just as what the name entails, a hybrid cloud service is a combination of both public and private clouds. One could adjust which partition is larger or smaller, depending on their needs. The prices of hybrid clouds are not as much as private clouds, and they bring to the table one of the best advantages: customizability. Whenever you have a lot of public information that doesn’t need the highest levels of security, then you could partition your data more towards the public cloud service. Conversely, you could do the same with private information and private clouds. The choices between the three really depend on your needs, and it’s not always the case that one is better than the other. Consider your data requirements, and decide which one is the best. At the end of the day, cloud storage services are a type of service that should benefit you for the daily needs of handling big data.