Secure cloud storage platforms give businesses the flexibility and power to manage data and applications more efficiently while keeping them secure.
But with the many options available, you must know which service provider gives you the security features your organisation is looking for in cloud storage.
This post discusses all there is to know about cloud storage services and the different types and services. Doing so enables you to choose the right one for your business.
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage refers to storing data in the cloud, which is online storage as a service. Clients can process and retrieve data from this storage on-demand as long as they have an internet connection.
Subscribers to cloud storage companies typically pay a monthly amount based on the type of storage and the amount of storage consumed.
What is secure cloud storage?
Unlike your regular cloud storage, the primary purpose of secure cloud storage is to protect your personal and professional data online.
It utilises a network of data centres that compares with the data security provided by on-premise centres. This enables clients to provide maximum protection for their data while affording them the benefits of cloud computing.
How does cloud storage work?
Cloud storage providers use multiple data centres in different parts of Australia and around the world to receive, manage, and process the data uploaded. This makes recovering stored data from the secure cloud easy as it can be performed anywhere and anytime using any device connected online.
Cloud storage allows you to share files with others, particularly those with whom you work within an organisation, for better collaboration.
What are the different types of cloud storage for business?
Your choice of cloud storage depends on the type of business you’re running. Below are three of the most common cloud storage types to choose from, each of which caters to your particular needs:
What is public cloud?
Public cloud allows multiple users to store and process their data as long as they purchase their required computing resources.
Organisations use public cloud if they’re not committed to establishing their physical IT infrastructure yet. Or, if they have on-premise cloud storage, they want to leverage public cloud as an extension of their infrastructure.
This cloud storage type is ideal for companies running applications via the cloud that experience unforeseeable usage spikes. This way, you can keep costs low despite the surge in application usage.
What is private cloud?
Private cloud is a cloud service offered by third-party providers to select enterprises that wish to deploy an internal or corporate cloud. This enables users of private cloud services to have much greater security and control over the environment, whilst maintaining the cost efficiency advantages of operating in the cloud.
Aside from being unavailable to the public like public cloud, private cloud is considered the most secure cloud storage provider, vital for growing organisations prioritising their data protection. As a result, this type of cloud storage if offered with a different commercial model to public cloud.
At the same time, the organisation is responsible for managing its private cloud storage. This means they should have dedicated staff managing their private cloud like they would an on-premise data centre.
What is hybrid cloud?
Hybrid cloud combines the best services from public and private cloud environments to help organisations run their applications with improved performance, better data regulation compliance and decreased latency.
This cloud storage type enables you to build containers that pave the way for creating applications that you can move from private to cloud storage and back, depending on usage.
What are the services available in cloud storage for business
The beauty of cloud storage is it allows organisations to cut down on costs and effort by leasing cloud storage space from third-party providers.
They will then only pay for the space and resources consumed during a period, thus allowing them to focus on managing their data and running their applications at optimum levels.
There are four cloud storage services for businesses to choose from:
What is co-location?
Co-location, also known as “colo” for short, is a third-party provider practice allowing businesses looking to rent server space from a data centre.
Co-location provides the infrastructure for organisations to run their computing hardware, such as physical security, redundancies (power, data, and cooling equipment), and others.
This cloud storage service gives enterprises complete control of their servers without the cost associated with maintaining a facility.
What is Storage as a Service?
Storage as a Service (STaaS) offers essential cloud storage solutions for organisations, from data backup and recovery to multimedia storage.
To help facilitate how subscribers use STaaS, service level agreements (SLAs) are agreed upon first to determine the storage usage and pricing.
Storage as a Service allows them to scale seamlessly and as necessary. With just a few clicks of a button, companies can upgrade for more or downgrade for less storage, depending on what they need.
What are Hosted Servers?
A hosted server is for clients looking to lease the whole server for themselves, whether for launching websites, software, or applications. The service provider manages the dedicated server to suit their needs and wants.
What are data centre connectivity services?
Data centre connectivity is necessary for organisations that depend on multiple cloud computing models to run their operations. It allows them to process microservices taking place in various services at once more efficiently.
The fast delivery that fibre, carrier-neutral data centres offer enables complex working ecosystems to function as smoothly as possible for clients.
What are the different types of secure cloud storage locations?
Single site cloud storage
This cloud storage keeps data and applications on a single site or location.
Single-site cloud storage has redundancies available in case there are disasters or issues in the location that could affect your data. However, you won’t be able to set back up your data until the cloud servers in the area are up and running.
As a result, single-site cloud storage is much more affordable compared to its counterpart below.
Multi-location cloud storage
As the name suggests, this cloud storage uses multiple clouds located in different locations to store their data.
Data distribution across different storage prevents users from depending on single cloud storage to manage their data. This enables them to continue operations despite having unforeseen outages from specific cloud providers.
On the downside, implementing multi-cloud storage without a clear in-house strategy results in lost and mismanaged data that needlessly fill up your storage space.
What are the benefits of using secure cloud storage providers for businesses?
We have discussed some of the benefits that cloud storage provides to businesses. But here’s a quick run-down of why organisations should get cloud storage:
- Convenience – Access data on the cloud anywhere and anytime using a desktop, laptop, or mobile device.
- Cost-efficient – No need to pay and set up a physical IT infrastructure, especially if your business doesn’t need it yet.
- Flexibility – Move applications and data from your in-house data centre to a cloud server and back in a few clicks.
- Scalability – Upgrade your cloud server to buy more storage space as your business grows and improves.
- Security – End-to-end encryption (E2EE) prevents online threats from stealing your information while it’s being transferred to and from your cloud storage.
How to choose the best cloud storage provider
Below are a few steps to help you get started with a cloud provider that suits your business:
- Set a realistic budget for your cloud service provider. Please consider the data you want to store in it and how you plan on using the information once it’s saved there.
- Build a shortlist of the best cloud storage platforms that accommodate your business needs and adapt to industry-leading trends.
- Filter the cloud services to those that offer multi-location cloud storage servers.
- Narrow your selection further to providers that can scale along with your growth.
- Finally, choose the provider from the list that offers world-class security.