Online data storage

Online data storage

1. Many organisations are providing facilities for you to store and back up your data on their computers and to make files available to be shared with others the current term used for online data storage is 'cloud storage'. Data back up is a method of making copies of files. Thesecopies can then be retrievedif disaster recovery is needed.

2. Cloud computing and cloud storage

   • Benefit - Cost and convinience - You only pay for the storage that you have used. You dont have to provide and maintain the hardware locally.
   • Benefit - Availability - Data files may be available anywhere in the world there is an internet connection
   • Convern - Reliability of the network - You need to be able to get through the host to access and process the data
   • Concern - Security of data - As the files are being stored by the host, you do not have control over them. You need to be aware of their security terms and policy
   • Concern - Software - The host may not be using the latest, fastest and ost secure version
   • Concern - Potentialy lower performance - The speed of retrieval of data may be slower than it would be on a local database held in-house

3. Cloud computing means using computer services on another organisations computers, which are known as hosts. The services are provided by organisations known as hosting companies.

4. Some well known companies which use cloud include Amazon, microsoft, google and youtube. Cloud users can access softwares, data and storage on the hosts computers, which will be held at remote locations. Users do this through a browser or mobile app, without directly accessing the serves that the information is stored on.

5. Some software programs will automatically make a copy of the file you are working on at set time intervals. In microsoft, Word you can set how often you would like the file to automatically backup(e.g. 30min, 1 hour). Automatic backup of online documents is just an extension of this concept.

6. Online documents can also have automatic backup. Backing up files means that you save a copy of the file at a known point in time. This means that you can always go back to that version if you lose or corrupt the present version.