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Storing Data in The Cloud: A Good Idea?


While the term “cloud storage” sounds very high-tech, it can be a rather intimidating expression for those of us who are not good with technological stuff, it’s basically something quite simple.  Cloud storage is just a fancy way of saying you can store your data and files online rather than on your computer.    The concept isn’t too complicated to understand; in fact many of us who are limited with our computer knowledge probably have used the internet in some way to save a file or transfer data from one computer to another.  For example, when I was at university and didn’t have my USB flash drive with me but needed to work on assignments at home, I would simply upload my file to my email address and send myself the file as an attachment.  While the cloud doesn’t exactly work in this way, the concept is the same; rather than only saving files on an end-user device, like a flash-drive, CD, external or internal hard drive, files, data and programs get saved in online storage space out there on the internet.

Storing music files along with other media libraries in the Cloud for a home computer user is actually a very good idea, as long as the Cloud storage is viewed as back-up.   What this will do is prevent the catastrophic loss of files.  While most of us are very diligent in backing up our files on physical devices, the files will still be destroyed and lost forever if a floods, power surges, earthquakes, natural disasters or other accidents occur.  If an event  can destroy our homes, it can destroy our precious files and wipe out years or even decades’ worth of music, photo, or other media collections.  Another reason why storing data in the Cloud as back-up is that the files can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection; there is no need to carry around pesky flash-drives or heavier external hard drives.

Finally, storage in the Cloud is actually pretty secure, and the chances of files being stolen or accessed by others without permission are much lower than using physical file-storage end-user devices.  With all that being said, there are some disadvantages to storage in the Cloud as well.  Right off the bat, if you don’t have an internet connection, you can’t access your files. That means if internet service gets disrupted and you need your files to get work or school assignments completed, you’ll be indefinitely delayed.   This is the main reason why Cloud storage should only be used for back-up only, not as a single or primary storage source.

Furthermore, there is less control over the storage of the files; the data may be secure, but the storage company will control where and how it is stored over several virtual server locations.    A disastrous scenario that could play out would be if the storage company went out of business;  a client’s files would be lost. The Cloud is a great place to store massive amounts of data for a reasonable price.  It works well for home users and businesses alike; however, for home users who cannot afford to lose precious files, the Cloud works best as a back-up space to save data and media; never use it as the only storage area for your digital collections.

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