Explain what remote storage is, network storage is, and cloud storage or online storage is.

Question

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Answer 1

Remote storage refers to using a storage device that is not connected directly to the user’s computer; instead, the device is accessed through a local network or through the Internet. Using a remote storage device via a local network (referred to as network storage) works in much the same way as using local storage (the storage devices and media that are directly attached to the user’s computer). To read data from or write data to a remote storage device (such as a hard drive in another computer being accessed via a network), the user just selects it and then performs the necessary tasks in the normal fashion. Network storage is common in businesses; it is also used by individuals with home networks for backup purposes or to share files with another computer in the home. Remote storage devices accessed via the Internet are often referred to as online storage or cloud storage. While these terms are often used interchangeably, some view cloud storage as a specific type of online storage that can be accessed on demand by various Web applications. Most online applications (such as Google Docs, the Flickr photo sharing service, and social networking sites like Facebook, for instance) provide online storage for these services. There are also sites whose primary objective is to allow users to store documents online, such as Windows Live SkyDrive. The ability to store documents online (or “in the cloud”) is growing in importance as more and more applications are becoming Web-based and as individuals increasingly want access to their files from anywhere with any Internet-enabled device, such as a portable computer or mobile phone. Online storage is also increasingly being used for backup purposes. In fact, some online storage sites have an automatic backup option that uploads the files in designated folders on your computer to your online account at regular specified intervals, as long as your computer is connected to the Internet. Many Web sites providing online storage to individuals offer the service for free (for instance, SkyDrive gives each individual 25 GB of free storage space); others charge a small fee, such as $10 per month for 50 GB of storage space. Typically, online/cloud storage sites are password-protected and allow users to specify uploaded files as private files or as shared files that designated individuals can access.