Public Cloud Storage: The Pros and Cons

Public Cloud Storage

Information remains invaluable since the dawn of time. As time progresses and new internet technologies are created, the need to access information has never been as paramount as it is right now. That is why advances in storage solutions are such a huge thing. Even though our hard drives and storage media can handle a tremendous amount of data, people are opting for a way to access this information on the go. This is the reason why public cloud storage was created.
In the simplest terms, cloud storage is storing data online to be accessed from any device, in any location, given there is an internet connection. Cloud storage is subdivided into several groups. These are:
• Personal/mobile cloud storage
• The publicly available cloud storage
• The privately available cloud storage
• The hybrid cloud storage
Today, our primary focus is on the public clouds. These are basically cloud storage solutions where data is stored on a remote server and is paid for under a subscription-based model. This cloud storage is for the whole public, where every individual is given a specific storage capacity which they may have to pay for upkeep. There are both free and premium public cloud storage services. So, if you are looking to subscribe to one, here are the pros and cons associated with it.

Pros of public cloud storage

Saves on costs
One of the most significant advantages of public cloud storage is the low costs associated with it. This is in contrast to private cloud storage which has to be purchased, installed and maintained all from the user’s pocket. The only cost associated with public cloud storage is the subscription fees, which are minimal.

More scalable

A person’s or organization’s storage needs vary from time to time. When the data being stored increases, the individual must also comply and expand the cloud storage. Public cloud storage has an advantage in this corner, since all you have to do is communicate with your hosting company and ask for more storage space albeit for a few more dollars. Other forms of cloud storage might force you to buy additional equipment when scaling up.

More reliable

Since the cloud storage company is in business, we can expect that they have a vast network of servers and backups in case there is a failure or corruption of data. Whenever a data center fails, the load is taken over by the remaining centers, making it virtually impossible to fail.

Cons of public cloud storage

Data security

The most prominent concern when it comes to public cloud storage is the security of the data stored in the cloud. Since most of the companies have these data centers in various countries, enforcing a particular set of security and compliance rules becomes problematic. There have always been concerns that due to the multi-tenancy support, there are vulnerabilities that can be exploited to reach other people’s data. Since developers are also utilizing popular cloud storages in their applications, the data access protocols can be used to provoke data loss. This means essential data can be wiped out in a matter of seconds.
Another major aspect is downtime. The most extensive DDoS attack happened in 2013 with whopping speeds of 309Gbps. This is enough to deny users the access to the cloud storage until the attack is handled at which the damage could be irreversible.