The benefits of cloud storage and cloud backup

The importance of performing regular backups of your data is indisputable. Data loss can be very disastrous and can have very unpleasant consequences. You can end up losing your data from various reasons: through silly accidents, by having your laptop stolen, getting infected with a virus, hard drive failure and more.

Cloud (also known as online or backup-as-a service) backup lets you store any desired content online, on a secure, encrypted remote server. You can have access to that stored data anytime you want, as long as you have a device that can connect to the Internet.

Here are some of the benefits of storing/backing up your data in the cloud:

• It is safe. Cloud backup eliminates a lot of the factors that lead to data loss: theft, accidents (the exposure of your computer to water, fire, etc.), because you don’t have to store your content on a specific computer, but online, on a remote server
• Easily accessible. Cloud data doesn’t tie you down to a certain device, you can access it anytime, from anywhere, as long as you can connect to the Internet. You don’t have to always carry with you a flash drive or external hard drive
• It is affordable. By storing your data in the cloud you avoid other expenses you’d otherwise have with purchasing hardware/software, servers, etc. Another cost you’ll avoid is the one for the IT staff
• Your data is easy to recover. Nothing is 100% infallible. Should your data get lost even when you store it online, you can recover it very easy. Cloud backup services store your content in multiple copies, in different locations. This ‘multiple levels’ method ensures your data is as secured as possible and you can always access a backed up version of it
• If you are a business owner and you store your data online, your employees can be more flexible and work from any place, as long as they have access to the Internet
• You can easily move your data. Companies are oftentimes forced to relocate, from various reasons (need of a bigger/smaller space, rent, etc.) This moving around gives you enough headache and trouble as it is, but if you have all your data stored in the cloud, at least you can ease up and speed up the process
• You can say bye bye to tape backup. Tape backup is less secure, more expensive and more time consuming. Cloud backup is way faster, uses encryption and significantly reduces your costs

There are of course some drawbacks to cloud storage, but in our opinion they are outweighed by the benefits. Some of the disadvantages would be the bandwidth limitation and the fact that you have to have an Internet connection. You have to also be careful whenever you perform some functions such as ‘drag and drop’ for instance. If you use drag and drop to save a file/document in the cloud, it will be moved from its original location, not copied. If you want to still have the document on your device and in the cloud folder, you should use copy – paste instead.