Anyone who travels a lot or likes to meet up with friends can take numerous photos with their cell phone on these occasions. The recordings are saved on the mobile device and can be edited, forwarded or shared on social media channels. But the storage space on the smartphone has its limits. Cloud storage is an alternative backup location for photos and other data. But what is the cloud and what advantages does it bring?
- Cloud storage is a storage space on the server of a cloud provider.
- The data can be called up with different devices.
- Cloud storage offers the possibility to share data with friends and colleagues online.
What is the cloud and what is cloud storage?
A cloud is online storage where you store your data securely. The cloud storage always shows how much space is available to you. If you want to save your photos, music and Co. online, you can choose between different offers. Apple users rely on iCloud storage. When you sign in to iCloud Drive, you get 5GB of free base storage. Google’s cloud storage is called Google Drive. In order to use the offer of the file hosting service with features like Google Docs, you only need your own Google account.
How does storage in the cloud work?
According to digopaul, the basic principle of storage in the cloud is easy to explain: You access the offer of a service provider who makes several servers available to its users as a kind of virtual data center. Since different servers work together, your data is not stored on just one computer, but on different ones. They can be called up according to your needs – at any time and from any location. The cloud uses a specific storage plan so that your data is regularly backed up. This backup is carried out automatically.
Can the online storage also be used offline?
Do you want to access your data in the cloud storage while on the move? No problem. Worrying about dead spots that could disrupt work processes are a thing of the past when you make data in your cloud storage accessible offline. Many clouds have special updates for this purpose. You save the files that you want to use during a train journey or when you are in rural areas, for example, in a local memory or copy them to an offline folder. You do not need an internet connection to use this data .
Online storage: these are the benefits
First and foremost, you enjoy free space on your mobile device. In the cloud, your documents are safe in the event of damage, for example in the event of a fire or water damage. Even if you lose your smartphone , the photos are not lost. You also have the option of making the photos accessible to others. Share baby photos with your relatives or exchange photos of your last party online with friends. An automatic cloud backup enables you to back up your data directly. The information on the storage space is synchronized. Old data can be updated in this way.
Disadvantages of cloud storage
Although many cloud providers have a very high level of data protection, in exceptional cases it can happen that the storage device is hacked. With some providers it is also necessary to enter into long-term contracts. So you have to budget for running costs to keep your content in the cloud. A stable internet connection is required to use all the possibilities of cloud storage. Rely on a trustworthy provider . It is good to know where the provider stores the data – on a server abroad or in Germany. In the best case, the provider offers end-to-end encryption so that your files cannot be viewed.
Cloud storage – free models
Various cloud storage facilities are available to you free of charge. However, this is usually a basic package that only provides a small amount of space. Often the memory fills up quickly so that you have to retrofit. You can purchase additional storage space in monthly installments or opt for a full package to back up all of your data.
Cloud storage as a Dropbox alternative?
The Dropbox is widely used as a desktop or storage location, but only the basic version with 2 GB is free. If you need more space, you can opt for an alternative. Google Drive gives you 15 GB of storage space. Microsoft OneDrive has 5 GB available for you free of charge. Amazon customers like to use the services of the online mail order company: As a member there is also 5 GB of storage space, Amazon Prime users enjoy unlimited space for photos in the cloud.
Other offers include:
- com
- Mega
- MagentaCloud
Popular e-mail services such as web.de and gmx.de have integrated cloud storage – their capacities are between 2 and 10 GB.
