A Guide to Cloud Storage: Comparing Google drive with its Competitors
The article will explain what cloud storage means, its types and help readers determine the cloud storage service or subscription that suits their needs
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Cloud storage services are becoming more popular than ever before. Hence the number of individuals using them is rising daily. The increase in the number of people is due to the safety and readiness that the storage platform provides. But, paying for various subscription bundles can dig a hole in your pocket. Furthermore, you may not need the premium plan the company provides. The article will explain what cloud storage means, its types and help readers determine the cloud storage service or subscription that suits their needs.
What Are Cloud Storage Services?
Cloud storage is an off-site digital model that keeps data on the internet through a cloud computing provider. The provider manages and operates the data storage as a service. The data is stored and delivered on-demand, which means you can access the data anywhere, anytime you want.
Cloud storage service eliminates buying and managing your data yourself. Hence, it gives you global scale, agility, and durability.
Types Of Cloud Storage Services
There are three kinds of cloud storage services available for use. These are object storage, file storage, and block storage. Each of these services comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
Object storage
Applications created in the cloud often use object storage, large scalability, and metadata traits. Object storage such as Amazon Simple storage service (S3) is perfect for developing modern applications from scratch that needs scale and flexibility. Also, object storage is used to import existing data and store it for analytic purposes or backup.
Block storage
An enterprise such as databases or ERP systems usually needs a dedicated, low latency storage for each host. This is different from the direct-attached storage (DAS) or a Storage Area Network(SAN). The block storage cloud service is designed to work with virtual servers to meet these requirements. For this same reason, they provide ultra-low latency necessary for high-performance workloads.
File cloud storage service
Some applications require access to shaded files. Hence, these applications require a file system. File cloud storage is supported with a Network Attached Storage (NAS) server. For this same reason, File cloud storage is perfect for cases involving large content repositories, development environments, media stores, and use home directories.
Uses and Benefits of Cloud Storage
There are several reasons why you should consider a cloud storage service for your business, some of which include:
The total cost of ownership
Using cloud storage eliminates the cost of buying hardware. Hence, you can add or remove capacity anytime you want quickly. Also, you can change performance and retention characteristics. Most importantly, you only need to pay for the storage you use.
Fast deployment
When development teams are ready to carry out a task, infrastructure should not stand in their way or slow them down. Cloud storage provides quick IT delivery and provides the exact quantity of storage required. So, IT can focus on ways to solves complex applications only.
Managing information
Centralising information in cloud storage builds tremendous leverage points for new use scenarios.
Popular Cloud Storage Services
Cloud storage provides various services to users. However, the most popular one is discussed below. Backup and recovery
It is so easy to lose vital data to hackers or damaged devices. Also, you can lose your device to thieves or forget your password. Therefore, it is essential to backup your data and recover them when they are lost.
Backup and recovery are critical to ensuring data are protected and easily accessible. Also, cloud storage offers an inexpensive, durable, and extreme scale to backup and recovery solutions. Cloud storage services can migrate data to lower-cost categories with embedded data management strategies depending on frequency or timing.
Choosing A Pocket-friendly Cloud Storage Provider
Selecting a pocket-friendly storage provider requires careful consideration from you. Asides from subscription costs, your primary concerns should be the benefits and services offered by the company. We shall look at some of the subscription packages from popular companies.
Sync.com
Sync.com is one of the best cloud service providers. The following packages are available to users
2TB costs $96 annually, which translates to $8 monthly. It comes with 5GB of free data. You can use the storage on five individual plans. The mini package costs $5 monthly for 200GB.
pCloud
This package has unique features that make it an excellent choice for users. Also, the pricing is ideal when the quality of services provided is considered. The following packages are available for those who use pCloud services. The free package comes with a storage capacity of 10GB. The premium package has a 500GB storage space at $4.99 monthly and $3.99 for a year.
Google Drive / Google Cloud
Google drive or storage is one of the most critical pieces of technology in the market. Its innovation has made the company stand out. Google cloud provides computing resources valuable for developing, deploying, and operating applications on the web.
Subscription Plans And Costs Of Google Cloud
Using Google cloud for the first 50 hours is free of charge. Then, users pay between $0.086 and $0.12 for every hour of storage. However, depending on where you are using the cloud. Google cloud runs a premium service, which incurs four times the charge of conventional Google computer Engine service. What to Expect from Google Cloud Services
When you use the Google cloud services, you should expect the following
Command-line
Most data related tasks can be performed from a main window using the Google Cloud command-line. The tool allows you to manage the development workflow. Also known as gCloud CLI, the command line focuses on making authentication and productivity easier for the developer.
Client libraries
Google Cloud offers an incorporated library for increased accessibility and data management. These client libraries explore third-party APIs for two significant purposes. First, API provides access to a wide range of services. The APIs are also optimised for computer programming languages like Python and Node, allowing you to work seamlessly and reducing the need for several boilerplate codes. Second, Admin APIs provide functionality for the management of resources.
Microsoft Office 365 Cloud Backup
Microsoft Office 365 is one of the best cloud backup platforms around. It allows you to perform full or incremental backups of chosen Microsoft 365 mailboxes and public folders. Also, SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business website, and Microsoft Teams data.
What makes the platform valuable is its grand recovery feature and advanced search options for backup storage.
Subscription Plans and Prices
The following plans are available to users who subscribe to Microsoft Office 365 cloud backup.
Microsoft 365 family
The package costs $99 per year. It is perfect for up to six people. Users are allowed up to 6TB of cloud storage.
Microsoft 365 Personal
You can subscribe to this package for $70 annually. It is best suited to one person and offers 1TB of cloud storage. Alternatively, you can pay $7 per month.
Perks of using Microsoft office 365 backup plans
If you use Microsoft Office 365 backup, you can expect the following perks. Advanced security and online storage Online technical support.
Pros and Cons of Google Cloud Services And Office 365
Subscribers to Google cloud service will enjoy the following advantages. However, the platform is not without its downsides. We shall look at the advantages and disadvantages of using Google cloud services.
Advantages of Google drive
Google Drive allows businesses to put their projects in the cloud. Hence, it provides a sense of progress which enhances team productivity.
Google drive provides synchronised information across the shared device. Therefore, it makes it easier for team members to communicate. Google Drive also offers a price calculator that provides estimates based on your location, workload and business model.
Disadvantages of Google drive
It comes with downtime because of service outages, which can happen at any time. The drives are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Benefits Of Using Office 365
The office 365 platform has changed the professional world drastically. Its impact has altered the way operations do business forever. Below are the benefits of using this platform.
Keeping track of projects leads to wise allocation of resources to where they are needed most. Hence, through the use of office 365, businesses can use their resources wisely.
Office 365 enables accessible communication among workers, which means they can work together on a document in real-time. Downsides Of Using Office 365 It offers limited control and less flexibility.
Conclusion
Selecting the perfect cloud storage service isn’t the easiest of tasks. However, the guiding light is your data processing and storage needs. For example, if you have a business that handles and requires huge data blocks, then Microsoft Office 365 cloud storage is your best option. Alternatively, companies with less data storage needs can use Google Cloud storage.
However, price is not the only thing you should think about before selecting the cloud storage you want. The perks offered by each storage service is essential too. For example, is your business going to need more cloud storage in six months, or will it remain the same? Are you going to employ more workers, or do you plan to downsize your team?
If you want to downsize, then you should go for the less expensive ones like the pCloud. However, if you have a long term plan to expand your business, synch is an excellent choice. We wish you the best in your future endeavours.