Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Storage.
The Cloud is a network of servers, each with a different function. Adobe, makers of Photoshop Lightroom, Acrobat and Dreamweaver, switched to a cloud based software sharing ideal in 2013. Where as you used to be able to go to your local computer store or Wal-Mart and pick up Adobe in a box it’s now based off of the Adobe cloud. You pay your fee and receive your program and now pay a small monthly subscription fee to continue to use it. Some networks, like Adobe Creative Cloud, provide a service while others store information.
Businesses are using clouds more often now and jumping on the tech bandwagon. Unlike hardware which costs thousands of dollars a year to purchase and maintain, the cloud is virtually maintenance free and easier to scale up and down with their use. A Hybrid Cloud is an integrated cloud service using at least one private and one public cloud to perform distinct functions within the same organization. Private clouds offer safety of your information and security that public clouds do not while public clouds offer an easier scale up or scale down in size. By combining the two in a hybrid cloud companies, businesses and even individuals can use the cloud safely, happily and without worry on hardware such as external hard drives.
A business could implement a hybrid cloud search in many ways. Having a private cloud for current customer information is useful for all employee’s who may need access to those files while old data and archives can be held on a larger scale public cloud all linked to the same hybrid system. It also allows an individual to hold personal and sensitive information on their own personal cloud while sharing other things with family and friends who all can share the same public cloud space. Providers of cloud services often find themselves using a hybrid cloud system to give customers more options. Separate cloud providers team up to provide both private and public services as an integrated service together instead of having to run both systems separately on their own.
Safety is a big concern with any cloud based service. Clouds run, essentially, on the internet which leaves them vulnerable to hack attacks. On the other hand, in that regard, all of the other IT systems today variable use the internet so the cloud holds no more risk then any other IT systems. The saving grace of the cloud is, should something occur, the distributed networks and information make it much easier for a company to recover from such a large scale, invasive issue. The best way to avoid issues is to check with your provider on their security policies before signing up. Companies that can not guarantee absolute availability under any stressful circumstance such as periods of bandwidth interruption should not be considered.
All in all the idea of a hybrid cloud is wonderful. To be able to keep private information private while sharing things that need to be easily accessible is a wonderful technological advance. While it’s not without its risks a bit of care taken over security makes the cloud an easy to pick option for virtual storage needs.
