Everyone knows that SAN and NAS storage solutions are at a premium in terms of price and are limited. Thanks to today’s new cloud technologies, those costs can be reduced and more functionality brought than traditional storage platforms. Cloud storage in its simplest form provides complimentary space for your existing dedicated server, VPS, or cloud processing systems. Imagine adding a scalable and potentially unlimited hard drive to your existing system.
What can be stored on the Cloud?
Images, HTML, Flash files, MPEG, MP4, PDF’s, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and more can be stored. Many providers allow you to mount the Cloud as an external drive and also provide FTP capabilities for adding content to the Cloud.
How is data delivered from Cloud Storage to my existing hardware or end clients?
Delivering your stored items works in the same way as Content Delivery Networks (CDN). Providers offer you the ability to use a URL to pull files, images, and data from the cloud.
Top 3 Reasons You Should Be Using Cloud Storage
- Low cost. Traditional SAN and NAS are limited and more expensive.
- Reduce processor load. Data is delivered directly from the cloud, eliminating processor usage on your existing system.
- Easy to administrate. Easily upload data to the Cloud via FTP, Browser, or Mount.
Alternate uses for cloud storage include:
- Home User backup storage. Affordable backup for pictures, important documents and files.
- Server backup. Run backups using Rsync or R1Soft to mounted Cloud storage.
Things To Be Aware Of:
- Bandwidth Charges. Many Cloud providers measure bandwidth in terms of in and out. Many allow free ‘in’ or uploading of content and charge for ‘out’ or downloading of content.
Choose Your Cloud Storage Partner Wisely
Only a very few state-of-the-art Data Centers are currently offering Cloud Storage to their end-customers. If Web Site speed is important to your online business, you should only consider hosting in one of these facilities.
Recommended Cloud Storage provider: The Planet
