Cloud Storage Services: Should You Be Using Them?
Cloud storage has been around for a while now, but more recently it has begun to significantly alter how we live and work on a day-to-day basis. It provides a safe, efficient way for consumers and businesses alike to manage their data.
Cloud storage is designed to provide a maximum level of security. Cloud storage provides a way for your data to be protected against potential damage made to a physical drive, as files are copied and stored on multiple servers.
In this piece, we’ll explore a few reasons why you should be using cloud storage including privacy, data safety, and cost-effectiveness.
Benefits of Using Storage Services
Before we get into the specific types of cloud storage options available, let’s take a quick look at the reasons why cloud storage can be beneficial for you.
When we talk about “the cloud”, what is essentially being referred to is a worldwide network of servers physically located in massive warehouses. While online data can seem nebulous, these server warehouses are real, tangible places. They’re also heavily guarded, ensuring your data is kept safe.
These servers are redundant, meaning, that if a primary server goes down, a duplicate server acts as backup with all operating systems working as usual. Thus, your data remains safely stored in the event a primary data center goes down. Furthermore to the physical backup capabilities of the servers, the data contained within each server gets encrypted. This makes it extremely difficult for hackers or criminals to breach the secure data. If you happen to keep all of your files on your personal computer, you’re leaving your files and personal information open to the threat of malware or ransomware.
The security and safety of cloud storage helps guard against the loss of your personal information through auto-patching, built-in firewalls, security testing, and backed-up data.
In addition to privacy and data backups, cloud storage is also a cost-effective option for storing personal information. While there are limits to how much data you can store before paying a price, many cloud storage options provide a way to store your data free of charge. Let’s look at a few examples.
Cloud Storage Options
While there are numerous cloud storage options available to consumers, we’ll go over 3 services in particular: OneDrive, Google One, and a self-hosted option.
There are many different cost ranges depending on the storage option you choose. Some plans allow you to pay a monthly fee for storage, others you can pay an upfront annual cost. The average cost per year for a 2TB plan will depend on the provider. Let’s look at OneDrive for example.
OneDrive is a commonly used Microsoft cloud option. As it stands, for OneDrive cloud capabilities without Office functionality, plans start at $1.99 per month for 50GB of storage. With Office included, your price jumps up slightly. In general, plans start at a minimum for 1TB. Prices start at $6.99 per month for 1TB of storage. While there are cheaper plans per TB, you will be paying higher for a minimum 6TB per plan. In general, you will end up paying more if you go for the $1.99 option as 50G of storage tends to run out fairly quickly. You’ll more likely end up paying around $40 per month for 1TB of storage.
Next up in cloud storage is Google One. With this option, you get 2TB of storage for an annual price of $100. This particular option is great for those who want to store their files in an encrypted location. Lesser plan options are available, with basic and standard size options costing anywhere from $2 to $3 per month, capping out at 200GB of storage. Google One also enables you to share with others and is overall a cost-effective option in terms of the storage services it offers. Apart from simple cloud storage, Google One also includes Gmail, photos, documents, and Google Drive.
You will end up paying a little more for 2TB with Google One than you would with OneDrive. In addition to that, Google Drive caps out at 2TB, whereas One Drive offers up to 6TB of storage availability.
Lastly, let’s go over the self-hosted route. If you do decide to go the route of self-hosted at home, there are a few things to consider. Considerations might include:
- Auto back up
- Data redundancy with at least mirroring
- Usable user interface
- Integration with other programs
Let’s take a look at WD My Cloud Duo as an example. My Cloud Duo comes with a one-time cost of $239 and is 2TB effective. Set up is extremely efficient and has a well-organized user interface. Responsiveness and ease of use are two notable positives that come with this self-hosted storage option. My Cloud allows users to share data, stream media, and store data all at a one-time, lower cost.
The following second self-hosted option might not be feasible for beginners as it requires advanced setup capabilities, but it is a worthwhile mention for those looking for storage capabilities. Let’s go over the QNAP 2-Bay NAS. It starts from a $250 one-time purchase which includes two 2TB disks.
This option provides excellent encryption capabilities when sharing sensitive information, and also protects your stored data against malware. The QNAP allows users to establish their own storage with low initial costs. This self-storage option is VPN compatible, has excellent data backup capability, and comes with a smooth user interface.
Storing Your Data
With many people shifting to work-from-home setups, having a good storage service is helpful for properly storing and protecting your data. If you’re new to cloud storage or are simply looking to make a switch, you’ll want to take into account what your price points are and how much data you’ll be regularly storing and backing up. Your storage size needs will of course vary, but always keep in mind the service level agreements as laid out by a company. These agreements will generally outline how your data gets stored, how it is protected, as well as general information on how the vendor operates. Understanding the service level agreement will help you to better understand what the company’s responsibilities are and what responsibilities you have as the customer when it comes to your data being stored.