In recent years, more and more organisations have expanded IT Support Services, embracing the latest cloud technologies, for very good reason. The cloud delivers incredible data analytics and processing power whilst offering unlimited rapid scalability. This is done at highly cost-effective prices.
Offering superb storage solutions is another of the Cloud’s strengths. Read on to discover more about what cloud storage actually means and how it works.
What Is ‘The Cloud’?
When people talk about “the Cloud”, it’s easy to imagine our data simply being held vaguely in the atmosphere somewhere. Perhaps in the very same elusive ether that provides other modern technologies, such as wireless internet connectivity or 5G. In truth, it’s a little more down-to-earth.
The cloud is a generic name for thousands upon thousands of computers linked to the internet which can be drawn upon to deliver the processing power required by its clients. The largest “clouds” can be made up of computers distributed over a number of data centres (vast premises which store and manage these machines) in a number of different locations. By offering shared computing resources in this way, cloud computing opens up incredible performance to users whilst keeping costs low.
So rather than enduring the expense of purchasing and maintaining relevant hardware to store all company data, using the cloud allows you to simply subscribe to a storage service.
What About Cloud IT Storage?
When you choose to store your business data (which can include user, organisational, or application data) in the cloud, this means that in physical terms, data will be held on servers at a data centre location, where it will be managed securely. The data centre operators are responsible for ensuring company data remains accessible.
Accessing the data can be achieved in a number of ways, too: such as through an API (application programming interface), a CMS (content management system), or a cloud storage gateway. There are three main options when it comes to adopting cloud storage services. There is the public cloud option, the private cloud option, and the hybrid cloud option. Understanding the differences between the three will help you to make the best choice for your organisation.
Public Cloud
Public cloud is the easiest to get started with and makes a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses, or where it is largely unstructured data which will be stored. In this provision, the data is kept on machines owned and operated by the service provider (such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon, or Google). This means your company’s data could be held across a number of different data centres, or even different countries. This is useful, however, as it reduces the chance of substantial data loss should a disaster such as fire or flood affect a single data-holding location. In this type of storage service, you will usually “pay as you use”, making it a very cost-efficient choice, although transaction charges may also feature.
Private Cloud
The private cloud option allows a business or organisation to create their own in-house cloud, keeping data securely behind a firewall. This option is better suited to larger companies, as it requires stringent security and managed IT services, and of course, taking on the expense of both purchasing the necessary machines and maintaining them.
Hybrid Cloud Model
Finally, a hybrid cloud model blends public and private clouds to create a bespoke environment that can deliver high levels of flexibility and data deployment options. However, the task of administering a hybrid cloud can be extremely challenging because it is important to ensure that both public and private platforms and applications work together properly.
Practicalities of Cloud Storage IT Services
Whilst it’s clear that choosing to store your organisation’s data in the cloud can offer some superb benefits, it’s still important to assess whether it’s the right choice for your needs. Assess the costs of cloud storage, including the expense of setting up and running your own machines if you want to create a private or hybrid cloud environment, likely requiring a dedicated IT services team. Be sure to create a cloud safety policy for all staff to follow, in order to ensure that accessing data in this way is managed securely. That being said, for purposes such as backing up files, DR (disaster recovery), or archiving “cold” (infrequently used) data, the cloud is an invaluable tool to have at your disposal.
Our expert team here at Andromeda IT Solutions will be very happy to understand your organisational needs and offer appropriate cloud-based solutions to ensure you achieve a truly cost-effective solution.
