online storage
by Morgan South
what is online storage
how does online storage work
Some people invest in larger hard drives. Others prefer external storage devices like thumb drives or compact discs. Desperate computer owners might delete entire folders worth of old files in order to make space for new information. But some are choosing to rely on a growing trend: cloud storage.
While cloud storage sounds like it has something to do with weather fronts and storm systems, it really refers to saving data to an off-site storage system maintained by a third party. Instead of storing information to your computer's hard drive or other local storage device, you save it to a remote database. The Internet provides the connection between your computer and the database.
One issue that information experts, computer scientists and entrepreneurs debate is the concept of data ownership. Who owns the data stored in a cloud system? Does it belong to the client who originally saved the data to the hardware? Does it belong to the company that owns the physical equipment storing the data? What happens if a client goes out of business? Can a cloud storage host delete the former client's data? Opinions vary on these issues.
who provides it ?
-livedrive
-crashplan
-zip cloud
-sugar sync
-sos online backup
-dropbox
-carbonite backup
-mozy
-hightail
bad things about online storage
Someone else is looking after your data
Unlike a data center, which is run by an in-house IT department, the cloud is an off-premise system in which users outsource their data needs to a third party provider. The provider does everything from performing all updates and maintenance to managing security
Cyberattacks
Any time you store data on the Internet, you are at risk for a cyberattack. This is particularly problematic on the cloud, where volumes of data are stored by all types of users on the same cloud system. Although most cloud providers have stringent security measures, as technology becomes more sophisticated, so do cyberattacks. For instance, instead of hacking the cloud, hackers will attempt to hack your account instead.
Insider threats
Just as cyberattacks are on the rise, so are security breaches from the inside. Once an employee gains or gives others access to your cloud, everything from customer data to confidential information and intellectual property are up for grabs.
Government intrusion
With the NSA leaks and the ensuing reports on government surveillance programs, and if you are the head of a big business. competitors aren't the only ones who may want to take a peek at your data.
Legal liability
Risks associated with the cloud are not limited to security breaches. They also include its aftermath, such as lawsuits filed by or against you.
good things about online storage
Collaborating
Likewise, many teachers ask us for the best way to enable students to work on the same book, or how students can share a book with the teacher so he/she can annotate it.
By using a cloud service and sharing the login credentials across multiple iPads, students can access the same files and in theory work on the same book by downloading it, opening it in Book Creator and then saving it back to the cloud service.
Backing up
Another good reason to use a cloud service is to backup your books. If for some reason your iPad got lost, stolen or broken, you can replace it and still have access to the books you created.
Low price
While many old-fashioned file storage units are expensive, the cloud system is much cheaper or even free of charge. Not having to spend a fortune on server space and bandwidth can surely benefit anybody. What is more, it doesn’t require installing any additional software.
Customisation
While cloud systems are automated, they are also easily customisable. It is the user who chooses what, where, when and how to store, share and access in the chosen cloud system. It is like using a car with a double gearbox. It can be driven on automatic shifting, but can be changed onto manual when necessity arises.