Cloud storage is a computer data storage model in which digital data is stored in logical groups, which are said to be in the cloud. Thanks to cloud storage services, you can now store, save and share large amounts of data on the web. Cloud storage has many advantages, from cost-effectiveness to time efficiency. In this article, we will discuss the four different types of cloud storage services: public cloud storage, private cloud storage, hybrid cloud storage, and community cloud storage.
Public cloud storage is also known as enterprise or internal cloud storage. It comes from space's huge mega-cloud service providers such as Amazon's AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and many more. Hundreds and thousands of organizations store all their data on the same servers. The cost of the public cloud is lower than that of the private cloud since it is accessible to several organizations.
However, the service provider fully controls public cloud storage, its hardware, software and infrastructure. Private cloud storage is dedicated to one organization only. The infrastructures found in private cloud storage can be managed by the organization itself or by a specific service provider. Since a private cloud storage service is designed for individual needs, they are naturally more expensive than other clouds.
However, they are also known to be better at resolving the organization's greatest fears: security and privacy. Hybrid cloud storage combines the concepts of public and private cloud infrastructures. When hybrid cloud storage is used, critical data is stored in the organization's private cloud and the rest of the data is stored in the public cloud. This method allows you to customize the functions and modify them according to your needs by using the resources offered to you.
Many organizations use this specific model when they need to quickly update their IT infrastructure due to its flexibility.Finally, we have community cloud storage. This implementation model is dedicated to several organizations in the same community, meaning that it is not public or open to anyone who needs it. However, it is not private either since there is more than one company that uses it. Some examples of a community cloud are banks, universities in common areas, or police departments in the same state.When it comes to file storage, companies used to rely on computer hard drives and other physical storage options to host and access their large amount of data.
However, this infrastructure is no longer suitable for modern businesses: hard drives only store a limited amount of data and if something were to happen to your physical storage, such as a system malfunction, your company could lose important files.In addition, object storage can keep unstructured data such as videos and photos in the cloud. Object storage allows data to be stored in multiple locations for redundancy and improved efficiency. Finally, block storage distributes individual files in blocks of data of the same size.Simply put, cloud storage allows you to store your company and customer data on hosted servers. It eliminates the need to purchase and manage your own storage infrastructure by operating through a cloud computing provider that manages data capacity and security on your behalf usually using a pay-as-you-go model delivered over the Internet.In conclusion, there are four types of cloud storage: public cloud storage, private cloud storage, hybrid cloud storage and community cloud storage.
Each type has its own advantages depending on an organization's needs for security and flexibility.
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