STORAGE SERVICES
STC offers a complete range of cloud storage services to support both application and archival compliance requirements. Select from object, file, and block storage services as well as cloud data migration options to start designing the foundation of your cloud IT environment.
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage is a cloud computing model that stores data on the Internet through a cloud computing provider who manages and operates data storage as a service. It’s delivered on demand with just-in-time capacity and costs, and eliminates buying and managing your own data storage infrastructure. This gives you agility, global scale and durability, with “anytime, anywhere” data access.
How does Cloud Storage Work?
Cloud storage involves at least one data server that a user connects to via the internet. The user sends files manually or in an automated fashion over the Internet to the data server which forwards the information to multiple servers. The stored data is then accessible through a web-based interface. Cloud storage systems involve vast numbers of data servers to ensure their availability. That way, if one server requires maintenance or fails, the user can rest assured that the data has been replicated elsewhere to ensure availability.
Benefits of Cloud Storage
Storing data in the cloud lets IT departments transform three areas:
Total Cost of Ownership: With cloud storage, there is no hardware to purchase, storage to provision, or capital being used for “someday” scenarios. You can add or remove capacity on demand, quickly change performance and retention characteristics, and only pay for storage that you actually use. Less frequently accessed data can even be automatically moved to lower cost tiers in accordance with auditable rules, driving economies of scale.
Time to Deployment: When development teams are ready to execute, infrastructure should never slow them down. Cloud storage allows IT to quickly deliver the exact amount of storage needed, right when it’s needed. This allows IT to focus on solving complex application problems instead of having to manage storage systems.
Information Management: Centralizing storage in the cloud creates a tremendous leverage point for new use cases. By using cloud storage lifecycle management policies, you can perform powerful information management tasks including automated tiering or locking down data in support of compliance requirements.
Types of Cloud Storage
There are three types of cloud data storage: Private Cloud Storage, Public Cloud Storage, and Hybrid Cloud Storage. Each offers their own advantages and have their own use cases:
Private Cloud Storage: Just as the name may suggest, this type of cloud storage means that the infrastructure is used by a single person or company hence high level of privacy and security. When designing the infrastructure of a private cloud, the specific needs of the company as well specific administrative controls are integrated with the storage concerns so as to enable ease of data access and manipulation as well increase security level. The infrastructure could be designed at the organisation’s premises or could be off-site and be accessible to the owner of the data. This is most appropriate for top confidential companies such as banks.
Public Cloud Storage: In public cloud storage, data and files of an organisation are located within the premises of the company offering the cloud storage services which means that as a client, you have no control over the nature of the storage infrastructure. Also the infrastructure is shared, and so are the resources used, which means that the possibility of data hijacking and other attacks may be experienced. However, due to the high amounts of data which might be stored at a given time, public cloud storage companies usually ensure that the servers they use are of high performance hence effectiveness in the cloud storage services offered.
Hybrid Storage: This is an instance where by there are different categories of data which a business handles and such data will require different storage methods because of the manner in which the access to the data might be needed. Therefore in hybrid cloud storage, both private and public cloud storage infrastructures are combined and put into use with each storing different data. For instance banks could have their clients data stored in public cloud where the clients could have accounts that to enable them to interact with the banking official and then their confidential account details could be stored in private cloud.
