Cloud Storage Service

A cloud storage service, also known as a utility storage service or storage as a service, is a business that manages and maintains its customers’ data, and make that data available over a network, usually the Internet, under a utility cloud computing model.

A cloud storage service offers flexible, scalable and redundant storage capacity through online interfaces, Web services API and thin client applications. This storage is mainly suitable for unstructured data which is not subject to constant change. The infrastructure usually includes inexpensive storage nodes attached to commodity drives. Data is kept on several nodes for redundancy, and retrieved through Internet protocols, typically REST (Representational State Transfer). Public cloud storage service providers are – Amazon, Microsoft, AT&T, Rackspace, Iron Mountain and Nirvanix.

Cloud has gained momentum since the past few years, primarily because of its advanced capabilities. There are numerous tools in the domain of cloud but none is more popular than cloud storage.

A private cloud storage service is suitable for an organization that needs more control over its data and for data that is actively used. Data stored on a dedicated infrastructure within the data center ensures improved security and performance.