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It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t use it, whether they know what it is or not, rightly or wrongly, using it all the time or only occasionally, in its free or paid versions. None of that matters, as long as it works and delivers what it promises. We are talking about cloud storage.
It is a well-established service and was partly responsible for the end of removable media, such as CDs and DVDs, pendrives and external hard drives, and for changing the way many things are done in the digital world.
But do you know how to get the best out of and correctly use the cloud storage service in order to avoid headaches?
What is cloud storage?
Although many people use it, there are those who don’t know exactly what it is or how it works in terms of the infrastructure and technologies involved.
Cloud storage is a service essentially based on the concept of cloud computing, to provide storage of files on the Internet, in such a way that they can be accessed by different devices, at any time, in any place. and even by other people.
It is a fairly old concept and it predates the popularization of many services based on cloud computing and that, even with some technical and functional differences, has 4shared, MediaFire, HotFile and the most popular of them, Megaupload, as some of the older representatives and who for some time were a reference.
The biggest and most popular ones right now are the google drive
onedrive dropbox and icloudbut the complete list of options is reasonably extensive.
The advantages of cloud storage
Mainly because of the ever-increasing offer of connectivity and connection speeds, even for mobile devices, first because of 4G which is already able to deliver adequate performance and more recently because of 5G, connecting to one of the many storage clouds has become something affordable for most.
More than just a good Internet connection offer, using such a service has become popular, due to a consistent set of advantages:
Practicality
Possibly most would consider this the biggest advantage of using a cloud service to store files. As we mentioned, not so long ago we used the most diverse removable media (CDs, DVDs, pendrives, etc.) presentation in a webinar or training, to access on another device.
With the availability at any time and from any other device that had access to the Internet, recording the necessary content and carrying one – or even several – media with it, is no longer necessary.
Even sending attachments by e-mail, which was sometimes an option for sending files, has fallen into disuse depending on the case, since it is enough to give access and copy permission to whoever needs it. It’s faster and still saves data traffic and bandwidth and leaves the email account free only for the essentials.
But there are other advantages that end up falling into practicality, like the next one…
Backup
With the possibility of synchronization that all good services offer, you can have the same files locally and in the cloud, functioning as a backup of the content in these conditions.
Although it is not a typical backup application and therefore does not work exactly the same, it can fulfill this role in some special circumstances.
In the case of Windows, for example, which has Onedrive native by default, the user can define which folders will have their content synchronized with the cloud and so, if, for example, when changing notebooks or reinstalling the operating system, everything that is in the cloud, it will automatically be available, just using the same Windows user / account used previously.
Availability
The best services have a high degree of availability, which means that close to 100% of the time, the service is accessible and performing well.
Accessing and opening files, especially smaller ones and as long as you have a good connection, such as a text or spreadsheet, are almost immediate and it may even seem that access is local.
However, being very close to 100% is not the same as actually being 100%, but that’s an issue we’ll get to later.
gratuity
Even the best and biggest services offer free plans. Of course, depending on the service and the user’s needs, it may be little, but as it is possible to have accounts in more than one, sometimes it is enough to have everything, cover many situations and serve some user profiles well.
Productivity
The possibility of controlled sharing, that is, determining who has access and what privileges each user has to different files, allows teams of collaborators to access remotely and work on the same spreadsheet, presentation or text.
With the integration of functionalities and resources, such as office suites, e-mail clients, online conferencing and chat solutions, the sharing and integration of ideas and tasks, many of the daily routines are made easier and more efficient. .
Safety
Present in the best and most complete services, particularly in the paid plans, there is already protection against malware, phishing, ransomware and other types of threats in the digital world.
Mobile
If, on the one hand, mobile devices offer ever-increasing volumes of internal storage, on the other hand, increasingly powerful cameras and the multitude of apps and their associated data are responsible for rapidly consuming them.
Thus, having a few extra external gigabytes in the cloud ends up freeing up precious space on your smartphone or tablet.
In addition, as with Windows, when changing devices, it also serves as a way to protect the most valuable content on the new device, without having to resort to boring and time-consuming procedures.
How does cloud storage work?
In short, the principle of operation of cloud storage is based on having several servers specialized in data storage, called storages and, therefore, capable of storing huge volumes of data and which are usually located in different data centers. , under the management of a specialized system.
The role of this system is to provide access to any and all files, as simple as accessing them on your notebook’s HD or on a USB stick or microSD card, regardless of whether they are stored in the same country or on another continent.
It is also the system’s responsibility to allow different levels of access to each file and privileges to the users with whom they are shared, based on the service user’s settings and preferences.
Thus, in the same way that occurs in the operating system of your notebook, for example, it is possible to determine if there is only permission to read, modify, copy, remove and create folders and files. All this is set by the account holder.
The difference is that on your device, you know exactly whether these actions are being performed on an SSD, an external HD, a USB stick and in which partition.
In the cloud, no. And it doesn’t matter to know either… Or does it matter?
The Biggest Disadvantage of Cloud Storage
The level of adoption of cloud storage is the greatest attestation of its qualities. It is undeniable that they are many and good.
However, on December 2, 2022, a problem with Onedrive highlighted the Achilles heel of services of this type.
Still without an official statement from Microsoft, several users in Brazil and in several other countries, were left without access to the files hosted on the service, making work teams that depended on the content stored there, unable to work or do anything. that depended on access to the service.
It wasn’t the first time and it wasn’t a “privilege” of the Microsoft service. It has happened with other services and for different reasons.
That is, those who have data only in the cloud and are fully confident in its security and availability may have problems when the service fails.
If the Internet stops, even if not permanently, everything in the cloud will be unreachable.
It is still necessary to remember that even if the services are investing to offer increasing levels of redundancy and security, it is necessary to remember that there are other factors, such as your Internet access provider, for example.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use it, nor does it mean that it doesn’t offer an adequate level of security most of the time.
How to properly use cloud storage?
To enjoy the benefits of good cloud services, it is important to adopt a set of practices and precautions:
- Sync – when possible, use the sync option for sensitive and work files, which means you always have a version available on your device and therefore accessible even if the service is unavailable or you don’t have connectivity. But stay tuned, as there are small particularities in the form and configurations depending on the service and operating system used on the device;
- Backup – can indeed be an alternative, but never be the only source of backup. It is recommended to have a tool dedicated to this purpose (backup) and, when possible, have an online and a local copy, preferably on removable media and which, for this reason, is safe from online threats;
- Security – Prioritize services that offer anti-malware solutions and against other types of digital threats. Be judicious with the privileges and permissions (read, write, etc) granted to files shared with others;
- Space – the best services issue alerts according to storage space usage. Be aware that if it is 100% busy, new files cannot be written and even synchronization may not work;
- Support – turn to support – sometimes only available with paid plans – and tutorials to learn about key features, such as synchronization and storage space usage, or how long files and folders that you remove remain in the recycle bin until they are permanently deleted ;
- SLA – check the SLA (Service Level Agreement) of the service used. It doesn’t guarantee 100%, but it does let you know the level of availability, as well as any discounts or refunds in case of failure.
Conclusion
Cloud storage can bring many benefits, but if not used in the right way, it can also be a big problem.
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