Online Freebies - The Different of Cloud Storage
Online Freebies - Cloud storage is different from traditional storage infrastructures in regard to three key
aspects: accessing files on object-based storage, accessing files remotely over the network, and the unique cost structure.
Accessing Files on Object-Based Storage
Many cloud storage offerings (either cloud storage services or systems
explicitly marketed as cloud) are built on an object-based storage
platform. These platforms offer high levels of scalability (in terms of
capacity and performance) as well as easy data access over the network
via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). But, they create an impediment
for enterprise organizations looking to integrate the cloud with their
existing file storage infrastructure. Data access with object-based
storage is performed through a web services application programming
interface (API), based on either the Simple Object Access Protocol
(SOAP) or Representational State Transfer (REST) protocol. However,
enterprise organizations access their file data through
industry-standard Common Internet File System (CIFS) or Network File
System (NFS) protocols.In order to deploy cloud storage in the least
disruptive manner, enterprises will need to use a cloud storage gateway.
Accessing Files Remotely over the Network
Cloud storage provides geographically dispersed users with storage
capacity managed from a central location. By definition, this entails
storing data at a location different from where it was created or used.
Users typically must access data stored remotely in the cloud. This
raises two important considerations:
• Performance. Data access over long distances might be impacted by
unpredictable network conditions. Depending on the distance between the
local facility and the cloud data center, users might experience
significant latency when accessing data stored in the cloud. This can
result in a poor user experience or unacceptable application
performance.
• Data security. For public or hybrid clouds, storing business data
outside your organization’s control creates a new requirement to encrypt
stored data. However, even private clouds might involve transmitting
files over the public networks. To fully secure business data, it is
important to take steps to encrypt data not just once it is in the
cloud, but also before it leaves the data center.
Unique Cost Structure
Public and hybrid clouds have a different cost structure from
traditional storage,due to two key differences: being a managed service
and the nature of accessing files on remote storage. Depending on its
configuration, the cost of a private cloud might be closer to that of
traditional storage.
Cost structure of a managed service
With a public or hybrid cloud, the cloud storage provider rents storage
capacity to organizations, charging a monthly fee for the amount of
capacity utilized plus network bandwidth costs (see “Added costs of
remote storage,” below). Because of the different cost structure, the
economics of some cloud offerings initially might not appear to compare
favorably to that of traditional storage. However, a comprehensive
comparison must consider several elements:
• Initial investment. With cloud storage, you can avoid the upfront
costs required to purchase traditional storage systems and capacity.
• Efficiency. Unlike traditional storage, cloud storage is effectively
100 percent utilized. You only pay for the amount of capacity that is
actually utilized for storing data.
• Data center costs. Physical storage devices consume power, require
cooling, and take up space in your data center. Public and hybrid clouds
offload these costs to the cloud storage provider.
• Operational overhead. Public and hybrid clouds offload the operational
costs of managing storage over time to the cloud storage provider.
• Managing growth. Public and hybrid clouds enable more capacity to be
added at any time, seamlessly scaling the storage environment as data
grows.
• Support. With cloud storage, you can avoid the annual expense of
vendor support and maintenance for a purchased storage system.
Added costs of remote storage
Because cloud storage entails storing and accessing files over the
public networks, organizations must consider the additional costs of
network bandwidth. Organizations are responsible for the cost of network
bandwidth out from their own data centers. In addition, the public
cloud storage provider might levy a fee for the bandwidth utilized in to
put files into and retrieve files from their cloud data center.
Private clouds
From the perspective of IT, a private cloud is not a managed service.
Since storage capacity must still be purchased and managed, the cost
structure is similar to a non-cloud environment. However, the centrally
managed private cloud does offer greater economies of scale and
operational efficiencies than an operationally dispersed storage
infrastructure with many individual points of management. It also offers
a much greater degree of control over the storage of business data,
including the ability to leverage different storage technologies where
appropriate, as well as a lower risk for data security. With a private
cloud, an organization owns both the local and the cloud data center and
is responsible for the cost of network bandwidth between them. This
provides an opportunity for symmetric WAN optimization to reduce
bandwidth consumption.
Free Online File Storage
