While having all your data stored in the cloud may make you feel like looking up in the sky and wondering what the heck that actually means, don’t worry – I’m going to clear up a few things for you! Think of it this way – the cloud is a network of remote servers that each play a different role. For example, when you take picture on your iPhone, it’s saved on your phone using your phone’s memory, but when you upload it to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, you’ve now stored it on ‘the cloud’, and you can access it anywhere.
You likely use the cloud every day for things like Google Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox, as these services typically offer an introductory amount of storage for you to use for free. A great reality of the cloud is that you can pay based on consumption (think: upgrading your iCloud storage) rather than having to pay for the entire storage server. Sounds amazing, right? Well, like everything there’s always a good side and a bad side. Let’s break it all down.
The good
Cost efficient For both businesses and people, the cloud allows you to pay just for what you use, and it stores your data for you – as if it’s up in the clouds, rather than physically next to you. This saves both people and businesses a ton of money since they don’t have to store their data and they don’t have to make large, up-front purchases of hardware that not be needed any time soon. Accessible anywhere Unlike a physical computer, the cloud allows you to access your data from anywhere. This makes it super easy to work remotely, share things with your team, or keep documents in one accessible place. It allows for efficiency when working, and you never have to worry about losing a document if someone leaves the company, breaks a computer, or accidentally deletes a file.
The bad
Connectivity The cloud is mostly accessible via the Internet, meaning that your cloud will only function optimally when everyone is connected. If a business has a really secure cloud, sometimes you can’t access it at home without certain programs and security features. If your internet sucks, you may not be able to access your documents or upload things to the cloud, which renders you stuck.
The ugly
Like anything that happens in the world of the internet, security is always a very real thing to consider. Having all of your data, documents, and information stored in the cloud might be a liability for some companies who handle sensitive data. It’s like asking someone else to hold on to your valuables. Luckily, a lot of cloud companies have state of the art security, so really it’s all about doing your research and choosing the right cloud storage for your company.
