Organizations And Small And Large Companies Try To Protect Their Information In A More Efficient Way Through The Use Of Intelligent Information Storage And Cyber Security Solutions, Improve The Quality Of Access To Cloud-Based Storage Space, Achieve The Principle Of Redundancy Of Storage Space, And An Efficient Solution For Storage. And Provide Information Classification To Their Users.
Based on these critical business requirements, which storage solution performs better than similar examples?
Do network and storage experts often ask what media data should be stored on, a server, on-premises storage, or the cloud?
Each of these solutions has its advantages and disadvantages; therefore, deciding on the best solution depends on the business requirements and scope of the company.
However, cloud storage has attracted the attention of a wide range of companies due to its various functions. To be more precise, statistics show that in the next few years, the majority of companies will replace the internal storage mechanism with cloud storage; Because with this approach, they will always have access to the information, to the principle of redundancy of data and the preparation of safe backup copies of the information. They will be sure that a stable version of the information is available to them.
However, cloud storage (public, private, hybrid, and community) has advantages and disadvantages. For this reason, before moving business activities to the cloud, it is necessary to evaluate this migration’s advantages and disadvantages carefully. Knowing about cloud storage’s positive and negative features will help you not to expect too much from the above technology and make a decision with your eyes wide open. More precisely, you will be sure whether using cloud storage to further your business goals is the right thing to do.
Considering the importance of the cloud computing category and the emergence of different companies providing cloud services in Iran, we decided to examine the advantages and disadvantages of cloud-based storage in this article so that you can make the correct choice as a software developer, network, and security expert, or even a regular user. give
What is cloud storage?
Today, all companies are looking for a cost-effective and comprehensive solution to store a large amount of digital information with the highest security factor. This issue has made cloud storage a suitable option in this field. Cloud storage is an online service that allows your data to be stored on a secondary storage device and be available to you whenever you need the information in the shortest possible time.
One of the most significant advantages of cloud storage is the ability to make daily or weekly backups of data and organize and categorize the copies created. In addition, you can allow all or only a specific range of users to view or edit information based on business policies. In this case, instead of the data being located on servers, desktop computers, storage, or storage network, they are stored on cloud servers, servers maintained by the company that provides cloud services.
When cloud storage technology was initially presented, companies did not notice it much.
Still, as it was completed and many functional capabilities were added, it attracted the attention of small and medium-sized businesses because it reduced the additional costs for these companies, especially startups. Reduce it significantly and provide them with a space suitable for their work needs.
Also, security concerns have primarily been addressed, and cloud service providers based on technologies such as replication, snapshots, and data backups have been able to give consumers the confidence that their data is being protected in the best possible way. For example, through the multi-step authentication mechanism and information encryption, hackers cannot access information using a username or password.
Usually, the pricing of cloud storage services is calculated monthly and according to the amount of space usage. The above pattern is precisely the same as the utility bills that you receive monthly. Every gigabyte of volume you use has a specific cost that will be deducted from your wallet. For this reason, you should pay attention to the fact that if you use services that have the possibility of automatic charging, you may notice at the end of the month that a significant fee for the use of storage space has been deducted from your account.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage?
In the past few years, Iran’s information technology equipment prices have significantly increased. This issue has caused companies to turn to virtual and especially cloud-based solutions to reduce costs. Cloud storage has attracted the attention of companies and users because it provides organizations with a comprehensive solution for sharing, archiving, and storage. However, an important point to note is that some new technologies that came into the market in tandem with cloud storage died out after a while. It means that cloud-based storage may undergo changes in the future, like other technologies, and may be replaced by another service. Currently, cloud-based storage is a complete solution that provides significant cost savings for companies and allows them to invest this cash on business goals instead of spending company capital on equipment purchases.
What are the benefits of cloud storage?
Each technology has its advantages and disadvantages. Cloud storage is no exception. Among the essential benefits of the above technology, the following should be mentioned:
Data recovery capability (Disaster Recovery)
The most significant advantage that the cloud offers is that data is stored and backed up at the same time, but the backup copies are not placed on a physical medium; Hence, we have to say that the probability of losing your data is very low, even if the data on the central system is completely lost due to a cyber attack. More importantly, you don’t have to pay anything for data recovery. Because information is stored on media that are far from the company’s workplace, if a natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake occurs in the region, companies can recover after the disaster in the shortest time and restore the conditions to the original state, of course, Provided that they have a business continuity plan and are prepared to face such conditions in advance.
Easy access to information anywhere
An essential principle that cloud-based storage places particular emphasis on is availability. Availability means that you always have access to your information in any place. Cloud storage provides an infrastructure for managers who are constantly on the go to access information through a communication channel such as the Internet or dedicated networks using mobile devices. Of course, it is possible to specify which IP addresses can access information and the level of users’ access information; To determine which users can edit or upload data.
to be economical
Perhaps the trump card of cloud-based storage is the cost-effectiveness of this technology. Under normal circumstances, you must purchase the storage media and its accessories and hire professionals to monitor the device’s performance. Large organizations are forced to implement a “storage area network” (SAN) that is very complex and requires experts in practice to monitor these networks’ equipment and communication bandwidth. For example, the network should be defined separately from the local network so that it has enough capacity and users can simultaneously send or receive large files. Sometimes, the network faces a speed drop due to its heavy workload, and network experts have to fix this speed drop problem based on special measures.
On the other hand, in hypocentral storageSending and receiving information is done quickly, transferring information is not particularly complicated, users can access information based on the assigned permissions, and access to information is done at an acceptable speed. Also, you can save a lot of money by purchasing a monthly, quarterly, six-month, nine-month, or one-year subscription. Of course, in this context, we must mention the critical point that if the volume you have purchased is used up, the additional information you save will be calculated freely, increasing the cost.
Scalability
In cloud-based storage, you get as much functionality as you paid for, no more and no less. If your business has expanded and you need more data storage, you can get more storage space by sending a ticket request without creating a new account. In this case, you will only pay for the additional volume you receive and will not be charged any other fee. On the other hand, if you think that the purchased book is more than needed, you send a request to the service provider so that the space adjustment process is carried out. The additional amount is deposited into your account. Of course, there is another subscription that has a dynamic function. In this way, whatever you use, the exact amount will be deducted from your account based on the principle of scalability.
high security
When it comes to cloud computing, the first concern of CEOs and IT experts is security because, in some cases, consumers face limitations in using cloud security mechanisms. However, in the past few years, many efforts have been made to improve security. Most cloud service providers have adopted next-generation firewalls (NGFW) and integrated management solutions capable of detecting a wide range of cyber threats. In addition, consumers can protect user accounts using passwords and multi-factor authentication. Also, your information is stored in different places, which multiplies their security. In such a situation, access to information is possible only when you allow access to the user account and information.
Automatic data backup
If you have read security news, you know how long Iranian companies, large and small, have been facing cyber attacks so that hackers have been able to infiltrate communication channels. In cyber security, an essential principle states that whenever an infrastructure faces a cyber attack, all information in databases and source codes should be evaluated and backup copies replaced with current versions. In such a situation, if the backup copies are located on systems connected to the same corporate network, the possibility that the backup copies are infected with malware is not far from expected. As we know, the preservation of business information is essential for companies that provide information storage services; Because big brands work with them, and in case of any security problem or data loss, they may stop working with them. Therefore, hosting companies must provide the best services to retain their customers. The same issue led to the “auto backup” technology to the service suited to cloud storage. So that the backup version of the information is kept in a secondary location so that companies can ensure that they always have a safe backup copy of the data.
What are the disadvantages of cloud storage?
Along with the potential advantages of cloud-based storage, there are also disadvantages. Among these disadvantages, the following should be mentioned;
Strict supervision
Because the stored information is controlled by the service provider company and the servers and equipment are kept outside your workplace, and you cannot control the hardware and software capabilities (unless the company provides you with advanced remote control software) ); in practice, you are only able to store information on the cloud space. It is not so interesting for large enterprises because their needs are complex, and they need tools to monitor the infrastructure and storage space due to their large volume of business activities. Therefore, large companies should buy dedicated servers and special processing equipment for their business.
Difficulty adapting
When you are just entering the world of cloud-based storage, you can hardly adapt to the new conditions because it is a little difficult to transfer large amounts of data to cloud space. In such a situation, companies have two solutions, offline and online. In the first case, the data is stored on the hard disk and is provided to the cloud storage provider to perform the upload. In the second case, companies send information through communication networks. In the first method, the speed of uploading information increases, and you do not need to spend valuable bandwidth on uploading information. The main problem with the first method is that unauthorized people may keep a copy of the information, which can be encrypted to solve this problem. The second method is more secure, but it takes a lot of time to upload data to the cloud.
Dependence on a stable internet connection
It would help if you had a high-speed communication channel to access cloud storage. Interruption of communication means a lack of access to information and may cause a significant delay in providing services. For example, some companies that use cloud storage as their storage medium disrupt their work by an Internet outage and may experience substantial losses.
Therefore, you should know that no cloud service provider offers a guarantee to work during power and internet outages to its customers. For example, in 2014, Dropbox, which provides cloud storage space, experienced a two-day outage. This issue upset many customers of this company and caused many problems for them.
The existence of defects in long-term contracts
Most cloud storage providers will sign a long-term contract with you. This issue should be examined from two different perspectives. First, some contracts are explicit, and the service provider states that if you run out of storage space, you must submit a request twice to get more space, which may cause problems, especially in situations where you need storage space because the allocation process will be delayed.
Second, the service provider concludes a contract in which you must provide the company with an amount so that whenever the storage space is reduced, the area is automatically available to you, and the cost is automatically deducted from your account; The problem with the above method is that if you do not have proper management, your credit may decrease in the blink of an eye. If you think your workload and information may reduce over time, signing a contract with a termination clause is the right choice.
last word
Cloud storage is a simple and safe way to store information and helps startup businesses grow a lot. In general, the popularity of this method of storing data is increasing; every day, different applications are defined for it. Cloud-based storage space has not yet evolved and has problems such as transfer speed and how to access information. Still, when it becomes, it will bring about a great revolution in the field of information technology.