Where cloud data is stored
Even our storage is online now. With the rise of SaaS companies and many cloud storage solutions, everyone from the average consumer to the largest corporations in the world have moved their data storage to the cloud.
But what does “the cloud” actually mean?
What cloud storage is
You’ve probably driven by a storage locker company before. They have a big lot filled with lockers, each of which is rented by a separate person on the same property that’s owned by the same owner.
Cloud storage operates the same way.
A computer server is a computer that’s designed to provide functionality to other computers. It stores data or runs apps that are used by its clients. When a lot of servers are aggregated in one place, it’s called a server farm or data center.
Large companies will create server farms and data centers, then lease them to other companies or direct to the consumer. It’s like those storage lockers. The whole property (or server farm) is owned by one entity, but each locker belongs to someone different. And the data in that locker is available to them from anywhere at any time so long as they have an Internet connection.
When you upload a file to something like iCloud, Google Drive or OneDrive, it’s sent to a data center. That data center stores it for later retrieval. Then when you need it, you can access that data center—wherever it is in the world—and grab that file back.
Finding cloud data
It’s hard to find where your data is stored physically. Most cloud providers that aren’t the big names (and even some that are) rent from one of the major data center companies. That data is stored on a server that could be anywhere in the world. And more likely it’s on multiples, given the need for backups and low latency.
When you access that data or that program it doesn’t really matter where in the world it is. All that matters is that you can reach it from your computer.
Cloud technology has made the world smaller and made it easy for companies and individuals alike to access their data anywhere at any time. If you want to set up cloud storage for your business and aren’t sure what route to take, contact TeamLogic IT today. We can help.