The sudden outbreak of a global pandemic changed countless daily operations. Lockdowns and shelter-in-place measures were implemented. As a response, work-from-home arrangements and online schooling became common. This transition into the digital landscape became one of the defining features of the pandemic era of Data Storage.
This drastic shift significantly changed how people approached and perceived their data storage and management. As more and more space in your device is taken up by varying amounts of data, it became essential to have enough room to keep the most important bits.
An increase in demand for cloud-based storage was observed given this particular phenomenon. Whether it was for professional or personal use, school or leisure-related, the fact is your device can only store so much.
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Cloudy with a Chance of Data Storage
So what exactly is the “cloud” in cloud-based storage? For starters, it simply refers to a different place of storage for your files other than the hard-drive found in your device. Usually, this other place is the server of a particular cloud provider.
Once the data is up in the cloud, it allows you to access it at any time through the internet. Within the server is a folder of your encrypted files that will always be in-sync to your account no matter where you log in from.
There are various available cloud services, each with its own area of specialty. Certain providers prioritize the syncing file folders to ensure that your data is always up-to-date. Some focus more on security. Others offer a more suitable platform for media like online photo storage. The possibilities are limitless.
COVID-19 and Cloud Services
Cloud-based platforms are proven to have plenty of benefits, especially with how the global pandemic forced almost everybody to go virtual. Countless pandemic files — work-from-home and online school files — suddenly took up too much space in people’s devices. Now, entrepreneurs and students alike have come to recognize the importance of investing in cloud services as their go-to for data storage solutions.
Back-up Services for Data Storage
One of the best things about having your files in the cloud is that there’s some level of security guaranteed. Whatever happens to your device won’t directly affect any important data stored in cloud-based platforms.
Several things, from essential business documents to family photos, are all generally safe. This is also a much better alternative to external hard drives or thumb drives that function the same way. The key difference between online and physical storage is that the data in cloud services are not as exposed.
In-sync Collaborations
During a time when remote operations have become common, increasing collaborations between colleagues have become vital. While the pandemic may have seemingly put a hold on many things, work and school persist.
Whether you’re writing a group essay for a class or preparing a quarterly business report, cloud-based solutions will allow you to share your work with others in real-time. This helps to improve the efficiency of completing tasks that require extensive amounts of cooperation despite the distance.
Ease of Access
Gone are the days when you would have to manually email yourself a copy of a particular file to access it on another device. Cloud-based services will allow you to seamlessly open any piece of data regardless of where you’re doing it from.
As long as you have it saved on the cloud, all your files will be readily available for you to obtain. You could save a PDF file on one computer and open it on another or an entirely different gadget altogether. This saves a significant amount of time as opposed to copying and pasting files repetitively.
User-friendly
A majority of cloud-based platforms have a fairly simple user interface. This helps to attract more consumers to the service. While many things online can often be intimidating for people with little to zero amount of know-how, cloud services aren’t as technical.
Being digital natives, young children should have no problem operating them with ease. On the other hand, older adults also don’t experience any difficulty navigating through these platforms despite their limited digital knowledge. Ideally, anybody could handle managing their files in the cloud.
Clouds in the Distance for Data Storage
Just like anything tech-related, these cloud-based platforms are always finding new ways to innovate themselves. From integrating artificial intelligence to cloud gaming, there are many more trends to expect from cloud computing as an industry.
One thing is for certain: the adoption of cloud services has made everyone’s lives much easier despite being unwillingly forced into the digital landscape. It has become a necessary part of our daily operations. This tool will surely remain long after the pandemic has come to pass.
