Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a service that keeps your files in secure data centres reached over the internet, rather than on your own device.
| In brief | A service that keeps your files in secure data centres on the internet rather than on your own device. |
|---|---|
| Technical definition | A storage model in which data is held redundantly on servers in the provider's data centres and reached through client applications and a web interface. |
| Everyday example | A photograph taken on your phone appearing a few seconds later in your computer's photo application is thanks to cloud storage. |
| Why it matters | It preserves access to your files even if a device is lost or breaks, and makes working across devices and sharing easier. |
| Common misconceptions |
|
Where is "the cloud", really?
The word cloud suggests somewhere up in the air, but the reality is very concrete: your files are kept on real disks, in the service provider's data centres in various parts of the world. "Cloud" is only a figure of speech; it means "computers you reach over the internet whose location you do not need to know". Uploading a photograph from your phone to the cloud means copying it to one of those centres.
Where it appears day to day
Your photographs surviving a change of phone, being able to reach a document from both a computer and a phone, and sharing a file by sending a link are the everyday faces of cloud storage. Most services are free up to a certain capacity, with more bought through a monthly subscription. Synchronisation between devices is the most widespread way of using what cloud storage provides.
Commonly misunderstood
The most widespread misconception is that a file uploaded to the cloud is "safe now". The cloud is far more durable than a single copy; but if your account is taken over, if you delete something by mistake or if the service comes to an end, the files are at risk. The cloud should therefore be thought of as one part of a backup strategy rather than the whole of it. The second misconception is that the cloud is "open to everyone": your files are private by default, and sharing opens only through the links and permissions you give. A strong password and two-step verification matter for account security.
Related terms: Storage, Synchronisation, Backup, Two-Step Verification