What are the benefits of cloud computing for personal use? Business?

Cloud computing is considerably one of the biggest things to happen to the world of computing, on a personal as well as a professional front, and it has a lot of benefits on both fronts. Personally, you no longer have to select a server to download from – which you  haven’t been doing for years anyway – and there is a very good chance that cloud  computing may completely do away with the very concept of an hard disk.

The best case of cloud computing being beneficial for both the person as well as the  organization is the educational field. With cloud computing, students can now logon to the cloud from wherever they are, and can learn whatever they want, giving the child the freedom to learn, and the educational institute saves a lot of investment money, because it no longer has to look at setting up classrooms and other infrastructure for students – it is all in the cloud now.

What is the biggest risk of cloud computing?

The biggest risk of cloud computing is of course, security. With even the strongest  networks being broken into nowadays, one cannot be actually hundred percent sure that the data that they are transmitting or storing in the Cloud would be perfectly safe. Another big risk is privacy. If a company is giving cloud computing storage, there is every chance that they would want something in return. If the company’s core business is advertising, there would be nothing to stop them from harnessing the data that the users upload, and use it to promote products and broadcast advertisements.

Are all services adaptable to all platforms, or should users be aware of compatibility  issues?

To speak about a cliché, just like there are different clouds in the sky, there will be  different clouds in the IT industry. The big behemoths like Google and Microsoft have already launched their clouds, and though the IT companies today understand that they have to as cross platform as cross platforming can be, there will of course be some issues that will be sorted out as time goes by. For example, when Open Office was first launched, it was a big hassle to have it save files in the .doc format, and Open Office documents wouldn’t retain their formatting in the MS Office program, so on and so forth. However, in the end the consumer won, and we no longer have any compatibility issues. In the same way, there are some compatibility issues with the clouds of different companies, but that should be sorted out pretty soon.

How secure is online storage? Will there be an increase in thefts to coincide with the increase in users and monetary gain?

There’s only one answer to this question – there is no network and storage device that is
completely safe and the same rings true for cloud computing too. Cloud computing will have some issues with security, because this will be the always on network that should be able to be accessed from any device that one can think of. As for the increase of thefts, the scammers, online thieves and spammers have always been there, and this will only act as the proverbial honey to the bees. But with so much riding on the system, it is a given that the companies that have launched the cloud will be able to solve these issues almost immediately.

How will cloud computing effect the companies that produce computers?

Though it sounds like divine justice to people who have had to upgrade their machines every six months for the latest technology in hardware, cloud computing will not actually close down any computing companies. Think about it, even if it’s a cloud, it needs some type of hardware to run it – it is not actually running in the sky. Therefore, the only thing that will happen is that smaller computing companies will shift their direction to the bigger hardware clients, those who are setting up the clouds.

How will the fast progress of cloud computing affect the online storage industry?

The online storage industry is going to have to change their entire thought process with the bigger behemoths coming into the online storage industry. These companies will have to run toe to toe with the bigger companies, and whether it will affect the storage industry or not, it will definitely spell good news for the end consumer. In such a crucial war, it is always the consumer who wins, with newer features, better options, and of course, a better user experience.

What areas is cloud computing still need to be developed?

Things like security need to be developed, as soon as possible. Another thing that should be done is to try to decrease the dependency of the cloud computing concept from the Internet connectivity. There are several countries that do not have access to the Internet in a way that the first world countries have.

Photo via getinet

What brought you into investigating and utilizing online storage? I’d always dabbled with Google Docs and Zoho, and played around with DropBox a little, but I had to get serious a few years ago when I was traveling a ridiculous amount for work. Often on five planes in one week. At the time, I was carrying a work laptop, personal laptop and iPad. All that
weight led to severe lower back problems.

I worked with the IT department and ditched both the work laptop and my personal laptop and got a MacBook Air that I used for both. While my aching back improved greatly, the downside was I went from a combined 1.5TB of laptop storage to a 256GB SSD in the MacBook Air. It was traumatic.

While portable hard drives were one option, I also wanted to take just my iPad on short trips (1-2 days) which meant I needed access to files on that device. Syncing files through iTunes (seriously Apple?) wasn’t an option. So after cleaning things out and archiving what I could, I turned to online storage.

You like to save cash on these services while also giving yourself supreme coverage. Any hints?

It’s really pretty easy.

1. Find the deals and jump through the hoops for the extra storage. It’s totally worth it.
•When Amazon launched their cloud service, they ran a promotion to upgrade you to 20 GB of storage (From 5 GB) if you bought 1 album – which was as little as $4.99. That was a no brainer. Also, Amazon is unlimited storage for all music now – so I have my music stored there. Their Android app is great so I can stream all of my music and I don’t pay anything to store it. (And I still have the 20 GB of space for other things, if I want.)
• Dropbox has done 3 or 4 promotions that I can recall. I participated in 2 of them. One was extra space for downloading or logging into their app on Android or iOS. They just recently ran a promotion for up to 5GB free for auto uploading from your camera
(again, for a new feature). I’m a photographer so I maximized that in about 2 days. As I was double checking some things for this response, I noticed they have a social media promotion where you get up to 640 MB for connecting Twitter/Facebook (https://www.dropbox.com/free) so I just did that. I also had to log in on Android since I just switched from an iPhone and I got 250MB for logging in from a new mobile platform.
•SugarSync does some similar promotions to DropBox. They have a few “getting started” tasks that, if you complete, you get several MB free.
• Then there are these once-in-a-lifetime easy promotions. Box did one to give you 50GB (seriously) just for connecting the new mobile app. Done. SkyDrive is running one now where you just have to click a link when you log in to get 25GB of space. Took me all of 2 minutes to click that link and integrate it. You just have to watch for these promos and do them right away. They’re usually mind-numbingly simple and the payoff in space is great.

2. Referrals – and this is a two way street. When I wanted to sign up for SugarSync, I reached out to a friend whom I know has the service and asked for his referral link. He gets a bonus and *I* get a bonus for signing up with a link.I would encourage anyone to seek out a referral link BEFORE they sign up (mine are all on my blog). Even just tweet or post on Facebook you’re looking for a referral. Someone will help out – and you’ll get a bonus. I probably get half of my space through referral since I always share my link whenever anyone asks me. And if I write about storage, I share the link on  Twitter/Facebook/blog/wherever.

3. Don’t be afraid to game the system a bit. I use Google Apps for my business and personal email. That means I get a cloud drive for each of those email addresses (and I can have 10 email addresses for each). So that’s 20 Google Drive accounts x 1GB = 20GB. I can keep different things in each of the 20 but can share them all with 1 main account for my personal and 1 main account for my business. (I don’t currently use it like this as the docs here are so small I barely use 1GB per account, but theoretically, you could). (I also have 5GB from my regular GMail account, which I can integrate as well.) This is all 100% legitimate per Google’s terms. And all 100% free.

4. Sign up for everything, ask questions later. You can always delete an account if a service is terrible, but I generally jump into a new service. Test it out and if I like it, find a way to integrate it. If not, I’ll let it sit and watch for improvements.

Which products do you find the most reliable? Useful? Why?

I use them all for different things – it also helps me keep organized so I don’t have documents in 5 places. Overall, I haven’t had any issues with any of them.

Amazon is solid for music and has a decent interface (the Android app is really the key here for me – I don’t have to keep music on my phone).

Google is the king of reliability with Google Docs, which is now Google Drive. I’ve never lost data – and in fact, have had data saved via autosave after a browser crash. I keep all of my spreadsheets and word docs there.

I use DropBox for photos now – the integration feature was key. I keep a back up portfolio there as well as the last 5 photo shoots I’ve done so I always have access no matter what. It integrates well with Android and my iPad, so I can share samples on the fly without carrying a laptop.

The one I’ve found the least useful, and I hate to say this since I’m a huge Apple fanboy, is iCloud. I’ve tried it from Mac to iPad and it just doesn’t work. So I’ve abandoned it.All it really pointed out for me is how well Google Docs/Drive works.

What’s the most important variable to consider as a consumer? Small business?
Access. Access. Access.

You need to be able to get the right documents in the way that’s right for you. I look at whether I need to edit a file or just view – and that will help dictate which service I use. Also how well the app functions and whether it integrates into other services like Evernote or a mobile office app. If I can’t access my data, there’s no point in me putting it in the cloud. I’d rather keep it on a thumb drive (which usually has more limitations but I can
generally find a computer to make edits.)

Access was what pushed me to Crashplan over Mozy for online backup. I lost a hard drive – and 3 months of photos 2 years ago. I hadn’t done a back up in a while so it was just lost. Crashplan’s app allows you to access ANY file on a mobile device or your computer – without restoring the entire database. That just works for me. They had some issues with speed as they became more popular, but I stuck with them. And haven’t had a bad experience.

Do you ever worry about security?
All the time. I use 6 or 7 online storage services regularly and none of them have the same password. And all of the passwords are fairly complex. I keep up on alerts and if anyone has a security breach they’ll fall to the bottom of my list. I try to take necessary steps to protect my data though.

These days, I’m more worried about losing my data than someone hacking into it. Though thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet.

The Internet is filled with options for online storage most at a low cost, what’s the dividing line between these services?
For me, it’s accessibility, interface and how fast I can maximize storage. If I can’t get at my data and interact with it easily, I’m not going to use your service. Or, more likely, you’ll fall down a tier.

Otixo has made that a little less important since I can use their service to integrate ALL of these into a WebDAV drive with folders for each service, but even there, the throughput is fairly low. I could eat that up fast. So I have to access most items via their native apps. If there was one service I would pay for right now, it’s probably Otixo. The price is low and it
integrates multiple other free services seamlessly.

While the number sounds huge, increasing reliance in cloud storage indicates that the market could even exceed this figure. Online storage is creating new jobs worldwide, and new companies are reaching for cloud daily.

One such company is Google. Google Drive, with its April 2012 release date, will hit the market with a simple, easy-to-use interface. Google Drive will be introduced first via a beta, invitation only launching; and is widely expected to give Dropbox, Amazon, and Apple’s iCloud a run for their money.

In the EU, changes are slated to allow cloud computing growth in the European market. Resistance to the new technology in government agencies has back-burnered cloud projects in the past. EU laws have effectively slowed cloud computing due to laws unclear on the ownership of cloud stored data. Reportedly some ninety percent of cloud users in the UK are unsure of liability in regard to data ownership. Laws and regulations concerning cloud computing need coordination and assessment. Once these laws are hammered out, cloud computing should save money, time, and improve efficiency throughout the EU.

Small to mid-size businesses are reaping time saving benefits from the new KineticCloud Backup from KineticD, which offers a free data seeding service, reducing time to upload files in the cloud. The service provides unlimited servers with a 448 bank grade encryption, and once data is uploaded, KineticD sends incremental backup blocks to keep business networks unclogged, and eliminating the need to transmit entire file databases over the web. With new or modified files sent to the cloud continuously, backups occur effortlessly, and work with all major servers.

Popular cloud storage system SugarSync, has had a face-life to its web site, making icons and layout easier to navigate and less cluttered.

World Back Up Day March 31st brought lots of free offers and new users into the cloud computing fold. New business and individual users took the cue to review options and services and get on the cloud. Reviews of popular and ‘best’ cloud computing programs circulated on this date and are still available for savvy consumers waiting to compare and contrast cloud services.

Not only were users encouraged to sign up for cloud services, they were encouraged to start using them. Research has shown that individual users and even some business cloud users tend to have the service but not use it regularly.

Another message for World Back Up Day was to check back up configuration. Again, cloud computing users may not be aware of file size limitations, or have taken the time to perform a test restore to make certain cloud storage and retrieval are working smoothly. With mobile apps for cloud storage growing more common and easy to use, another key message for World Back Up Day was to down load and use one via smart phone.

And lastly, the MegaUpload debacle and demise earlier this year has led cloud users to rely on multiple services for file back up and storage. While the trend may be unnecessary overall, having your data stored with two cloud services or both in the cloud and locally, means double the security and access.

And lastly, a new research study undertaken in February shows a major up tick in companies utilizing cloud storage systems, up to forty percent, with extensive growth in cloud data storage predicted for non-users.

Photo credit to DonkeyHotey

OnlineStorage.org: Online backup is an old technology that is only really gaining popularity as of late. What made Symantec decide to enter the online backup industry?

Backup.com: We don’t believe that online backup is an old technology. It may be an idea that’s been in the market for years, but the technology behind it is very advanced and always changing. Norton Online Backup is a state-of-the-art technology combining a lightweight agent running on your PC or Mac connecting to a cloud-scale data center that is the largest consumer online storage provider in the world. We are constantly updating and enhancing our technologies to provide the best possible experience and protection for Norton Online Backup customers.

OS: People may be familiar with Norton Security and Verisign as reputable brands; could any of Symantec’s other product offerings be connected to the Norton Online Backup service in the future?

B: Yes, in fact we already offer products that are connected to the Norton Online Backup service. Norton 360, our comprehensive security suite, currently includes Norton Online Backup, so it’s a one-stop shop for securing and storing your most precious digital stuff. It’s easy to use and completely automatic so you don’t even need to think about backing up, unless you want to. We will continue to integrate Norton Online Backup in our product offerings, as long as it makes sense and it gives our customers what they’re asking for.

OS: Naturally, security is a huge concern for users of online backup services. Can you describe your bit encryption, if you utilize SSL technology and if there are any other security measures taken?

B: With Norton Online Backup, all customer data is encrypted on the PC before transmission. All data is further transmitted over SSL connections to our secure data center, where it is persisted on hard disks in a fully encrypted manner. All data is saved on multiple disks within each data center, and all data is mirrored across multiple data centers. People can read more about encryption on our blog.

OS: For professionals with larger data needs, such as graphic designers and videographers, is there an option to upgrade your account to unlimited backup? If not, will there be in the future?

B: There is no option for unlimited backup with Norton Online Backup. That said, people should read the fine print when it comes to a company claiming “unlimited” storage. Unlimited storage isn’t always unlimited. With Norton Online Backup, you can buy an annual subscription for 25 GB of storage space. Quite a bit of research says that the average computer user only needs about 5 – 8 GB of storage space. And the typical household has at least 2 computers in it. So, for a great deal of people 25 GB of space is more than enough. That said, if you’re not an average computer user, then you can always buy more storage.

OS: Norton is obviously recognized as one of the leaders in computer security innovation. What will Norton bring to the table in online backup that differs from the competition?

B: We recognize that people’s digital lives—their pictures, music, important documents and other personal stuff – are absolutely irreplaceable. We take it to heart that losing your personal stuff is disastrous, and so we live and breathe to protect your stuff wherever we can. We take this mission very seriously and we work hard to bring our deep security expertise to online storage, allowing customers the peace of mind that their stuff is not only safe from loss but also remains private. To this end, Norton and Symantec have a significant collection of intellectual capital surrounding security technologies, including Verisign and PGP encryption. Norton Online Backup protects data “at flight” and “at rest,” and customer data never resides on a disk that is not 100 percent owned by Symantec.

And with over 14 million paid subscribers and more than 75 petabytes of consumer data already stored, I feel invigorated that our approach is working. With more than 25 years of experience in protecting people’s stuff, you can be assured we’ll be around, as will your stuff, for many years to come.

OS: Does Norton want to guide the evolution of online storage or merely be a participant and follow trends? If the former, how will Norton set precedent? What does Norton see happening in online backup during the next ten years?

B: We will guide the evolution, as we’ve proven throughout our 25 years of protecting people online. We are developing new technologies and new applications that will make online backup amazingly fast, reliable, and pervasive. We can’t go into detail on what those technologies and applications are, as we don’t comment on future plans, but we will continue to innovate and lead the way in protecting people’s digital lives.

Ten years is a long time in technology, so it’s hard to say what will be happening in that length of time. What we know is that the market landscape is changing—people are producing more and more digital content, using many more devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and demanding higher and higher levels of privacy and control. As the leader in this market place, you can bet we’re thinking about all that and how we can create new services that help people protect the stuff that matters to our customers.

Cloud computing is a relatively new field whose birth in business can be traced back to 1999 when a company by the name of Salesforce.com began offering Software as a Service (SaaS) to customers. At the same time a software design and consulting firm, FilesAnywhere, began offering an online storage as a service. Eventually, thanks to FilesAnywhere’s pioneering efforts, many more online storage companies began sprouting up due to the profitability of such an industry. Following FilesAnywhere companies such as Dropbox, Box.net, Sugarsynch, and Mozy came along to dominate the growing market. Despite the tremendous growth in market users it is nonetheless ponderable as to where and what place online storage will have in the future of computing.

To answer this question we have to look no further than the current explosion of data and information in recent years and many studies of their growth trends have shown that they are being produced faster than we are creating the means to store such tremendous amounts of useful data. Due to the progress of computing and the amount of information generated by the increase of transactions placed online, our necessity of having a service to house data in economies of scale fashion has never been in more demand than now. Although these services are being presented to individual consumers, their biggest benefit will come from the realm of business-to-business storage. As cloud computing becomes more powerful, stable, and cost effective it will ultimately attract more users. The online storage companies will have to begin competing for the business of individual cloud computing companies to offer the benefits of specialization and the economies of scale savings.

It doesn’t make economic sense for a cloud computing company to have their own online storage service offering because it takes away dollars they could spend on bettering and expanding their computing business.  At the same time that these cloud computing companies are spending their investment capital to grow into their niche, online storage services will be using their investment dollars to lower costs, increase market share, and raise the barriers for newcomers to try and come into their market to compete by lowering their profit margins as well as their prices. Such a strategic economic maneuver has been seen many times in the past, and online storage will use it to not be overrun by cloud computing companies.

Photo by viagallery.com

This progression has spawned a new generation of service-oriented billionaires from the “Google Guys” Larry Page and Sergey Brin, to the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. Services are becoming the main breadwinner of American economics, and when analyzed deeply enough will leave two words at the end of all our tongues, “What’s next?”

Cloud Computing as a concept is said to be the brainchild of John McCarthy, a computer scientist who also coined the term artificial intelligence and invented the Lisp programming language, when he said that one day computing may be organized very much like a public utility. McCarthy unfortunately passed away before his concept became as invasive as many of the public utilities we have already, but we are definitely approaching the movement with great momentum, and his concepts have allowed the next generation of thinkers to push the concepts forward to meet the eventual inevitability of cloud computing being added to the public utilities repertoire.

One of the great thinkers of our day in the world of cloud computing is David Linthicum, whose blog on the subject can be found at InfoWorld. He is the Chief Technology Officer at Blue Mountain Labs and the coauthor of 13 books on computing including the best-seller “Enterprise Application Integration” (Addison Wesley). One can derive from David’s actions that his life has been dedicated to the progress of cloud computing (a contemporary buzzword he says will one day be simply, “computing.”). David (Dave) was generous enough, despite his very busy schedule, to answer a few questions related to cloud computing for us:

Q: What is cloud computing? What are some of the potential benefits?

A: Cloud computing is a model of computing where we’re able to leverage computing resources on-demand. This means that we can allocate as many resources as we need, when we need them, and only pay for the resources we use. Cloud resources include storage, compute, and software, and even networking, security, and testing. The list grows each month. Cloud may exist outside of the enterprise, or public clouds, or inside of the enterprise, called private cloud.

The potential benefits include:
• The ability to only use and pay for only the resources you need.
• The ability to provision those resources on-demand.
• The ability to scale to massive loads.
• The ability to become more efficient and effective around costs and service to end-users.
• The ability to get systems up-and-running quickly, and mix and match resources required supporting those systems.
• The ability to become more agile. The ability to change quickly around changing business requirements.

Q: How will cloud computing effect PC makers like Dell and Apple?

A: More processing will move outside of the enterprise, thus we won’t have to upgrade PCs as often. I think they will show a lag in sales as cloud computing becomes more of a force. However, at the same time cloud providers, and those building private clouds, need cores for their data centers, and we’re seeing a increase in server sales right now. Thus, they could find that their business shifts, but continues to grow.

Q: How will the fast progress of cloud computing affect the online storage industry?

A: It shifts, but grows. The need for storage is significant, and growing all of the time. In many cases storage-as-a-service will solve the storage problem of enterprises, and we’ll see some movement in that direction considering the ease of use, the ability to self-provision, and the lower cost. However, keep in mind that no matter if you’re using a IaaS provider for storage-as-a-service, or a traditional storage provider, it’s still storage. The patterns remain the same; the models for delivery are changing however.

Q: What areas is cloud computing still (no pun intended!) lagging in?

It’s lagging in security and standards.

Security is catching up with the cloud right now, and we’re seeing many new and innovative approaches. However, it’s really around the experience of those deploying cloud solutions that needs improvement.

Standards are beginning to appear. Mostly around tactical areas of cloud computing, such as security, storage, and compute services. However, many cloud providers are slow to support them, or are just giving them lip services these days. I suspect a few will emerge shortly.

We really appreciate Dave sharing his expertise on the issues of the world of cloud computing, it’s benefits, its current drawbacks, and where we will stand in the coming years – Thanks Dave!

1. Files Direct – FilesDIRECT is a web-based file transfer service built for businesses and organizations for sending large files and receiving large files regularly from multiple contacts. It eliminates the hassles of FTP and the limitations of e-mail.
2. We Transfer – A free platform for transferring large digital files up to 2Gb per transfer. They can transfer any type of file, some of which include presentations, photos, videos, music and documents.
3. You Send It – A secure online file sharing software that allows you to easily send large files and e-mail attachments. You Send It also offers managed file transfer.
4. Transfer Big Files – This site offers free file hosting, large file transfer, and the option of e-mailing large files. Just drag and drop your files, and they will send them for free!
5. Send This File – A good resource for those seeking an affordable way to send files. You have the ability to share files with anyone with a link as well as the ability to transfer and receive large folders. Optional Outlook plugin is available and no software is required.
6. CC File Transfer – A web based file transfer software built for people that need to regularly transfer files from pc to pc. This software can also help you share files, photos, music and video with your friends.
7. Microsoft File Transfer Manager – Microsoft’s file transfer manager is a client-side application whose purpose is to provide secure and guaranteed delivery when downloading or uploading large files over the internet.
8. Sysax – Windows file transfer software that supports secure and automated transfer of files and folders between computers across the internet.
9. File Transfer – This site provides a web-based application that enables you to upload and transfer files of unlimited size to any recipient.
10. Android File Transfer – An application for Macintosh computers you can use to view and transfer files between your Mac and an Android device.
11. Ipswitch File Transfer – Ipswitch File Transfer deals specifically with managed file transfer.
12. Share File – This site allows you to create a custom-branded, password-protected space where you can exchange business files with clients easily and securely.
13. Sendoid – This site lets you send files to anyone with an internet connection via an on-demand peer-to-peer direct connection for free. Your file will go straight to its destination so no server space is required.
14. Onehub – A web application that provides everything you need to easily and securely share files and collaborate online.
15. Cincopa – A fast way to send large files such as videos, music and photos without size limitations to any device.
16. Pipe Bytes – A free online service which lets you share files with your friends. This service is web-based, which means no software installation is required. Exchange files of any size with anyone you want.
17. File Catalyst – This is a fast file transfer platform which allows users to easily send large files.
18. Anyplace Control – Allows you to transfer files to or from a remote computer.
19. Minus – This site is one of the simplest free file sharing platforms online.
20. Adobe Send Now – This resource lets you send, share, and track large files online without the headaches of e-mail size restrictions, multiple e-mail attachments, FTP sites, and costly overnight services.

• The price

The first and most important factor that you have to evaluate in an online storage service is its price. The price of most online storage services depend on the amount of storage space you need. If you only need a couple of gigabytes of storage, then there are some service providers that offer this space for free. However, if you need more data storage space, then you would need to pay a price. Most data storage services offer just a monthly or annual payment plan, while some of them also charge on a per MB data transfer basis. You need to check all this and calculate the total cost of using these services.

• Feature set

Online storage services offer a number of features. The most common feature that you would find in these services is remote access. Another feature that you would find in some data storage services is mobile access (which lets you access your files and data from your Internet-enable mobile device). The next feature that you have to check for is private and public file sharing. These options are dependent on your own preference, so make sure that you choose the right one. Some online storage services also offer both kinds of file sharing. The drag-and-drop feature is not found in many, but it can make your life much easier. If you would like to create sub-accounts within an online storage account for better segregation of data, then you can find some services that offer this feature as well. Another helpful feature to look out for while testing an online storage service is file search.

• Security settings

The next thing to look at while looking for online storage services is its security features. SSL encryption is a prerequisite for any good online storage service, along with password protection. You may also find multilevel security in some services.

Many online storage services offer a free trial period for you to try out their features before you actually sign up for an account. Even if they do not give this option, you can always search the Internet for extensive reviews where each of these services have been tested and evaluated for your benefit.

Photo via Wanderlise

However, there is an alternative way of storing data that allows you to reduce the chances of accidental data loss by huge margins- online storage.

• Professional writers and individual business owners generally store all their work and important data on a single hard disk- external or internal. However, hard drives fail or lose their ability to retain data over a period of time.

• Most hard drives tend to fail without any warning whatsoever. Internal hard disks are the most vulnerable to accidental data loss. Their physical structure is very delicate. The data inside is susceptible to virus attacks and system crashes at all times. In short, physical hard drives are accidents waiting to happen.

• Most professionals and private individuals are using online storage to keep their files secure. They can access their data whenever they want. They have no fear of accidental data loss, even if their entire system crashes.

• Medium sized businesses face the same problem. They have a lot more data to take care of than individual professionals. That means that they would have to get a lot more hard drives, which costs a lot of money.

• Businesses that are looking to grow would not want to spend too much of their budget on a storage option that is susceptible to accidental data loss at any time. This is why growing businesses form the majority of online storage users. By keeping their data secure on an online storage account, small and medium sized businesses can concentrate on expanding their business instead of worrying about the loss of their data.

Large companies can also look at online storage as the best way to avoid accidental data loss. Every piece of information is important for conglomerates. Some of them store their data onsite in their own storage system that consists of rows and rows of servers and hard drives. However, these systems are susceptible to accidental loss of data whenever there is a power outage or if a few employees accidentally upload a virus into the mainframe.

If these businesses keep their data on an online storage system, they can be free of such problems and remain assured that their data is safe from accidental data loss.

Photo via kodomut

Cost efficiency:

If you are a large business or if you deal with a lot of data-critical, as well as non-critical, would you like to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for hardware to store your data? The answer would probably be a resounding ‘no’. Businesses are trying to cut costs in every way possible, so removing the need for hard disks would mean a big reduction in their budget. Instead, they can use the same money to invest in more efficient and hassle-free storage options.

Access your data anywhere:

Imagine not having to carry around hard disks or USBs wherever you go. The freedom of accessing humungous volumes of data at any remote location has been one of the biggest plus points of online storage. It doesn’t matter if you are in a small town, a foreign country, or in an urban jungle- you can access your information as long as you have an internet connection.

Safety from any kind of physical damage:

With an online storage backup option, you don’t need to worry about any kind of damage that can occur due to a fire, hurricane, or any other natural disaster. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about breaking and entering and data theft. Your data is stored securely in a non-physical form in a remote, undisclosed server.

Low Maintenance:

Hard drives are prone to technical problems that can render your data inaccessible. In many cases, your data may even be deleted or unrecoverable. You need to constantly inspect and update or repair any sections of hardware, and this means a continuous stream of money going in just for maintenance purposes. You can get rid of the added responsibility of maintaining hard disks by simply going in for an online storage system.

When you look at all the above advantages, it is no wonder that an increasing number of businesses and individuals are opting for online data storage. However, if you are still not convinced, you can always visit OnlineStorage.org to find out more on online storage.

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