What is “The Cloud?” And why should you use it?

When talking about the photos on your phone with family or friends, you may have heard someone talk about storing them on “The Cloud.” Many people are unfamiliar with the Cloud and would like to know how it works. If you’re reading this, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about the Cloud, how it works, and how it can help you store all your important files, pictures, and documents.

What is the Cloud?

Before Cloud storage existed, we would store all of our files on the hard drive of our computer or phone, but this gave us limited space. The average computer hard drive can only store a limited amount of data. What Cloud storage does is offer us the ability to expand our computer's memory beyond its physical capacity. The Cloud is an unseen server that allows people to upload or store their data, such as photos, documents, videos, music, or any other file type. Think of “The Cloud” as the world’s largest flash drive, holding all the things you want and need.

Why should you use the Cloud? 

Now that you know what “The Cloud” is, let’s talk about some reasons why you might consider using it. There are many advantages to using the Cloud for storage instead of relying solely on traditional storage options, such as flash drives, external hard drives, or storing files on your computer’s internal hard drive. The biggest advantage is that all your important data is backed up and safely stored elsewhere in the event your device or devices are lost, damaged, or stolen. 

For example, let’s say a woman named “Mary” is driving to see family in Oregon from California. As she’s driving, she gets tired and decides to stop at a hotel to rest for the night. Mary takes her laptop with her everywhere she goes. Mary’s laptop contains hundreds of priceless family photos, but because she is so tired, she forgets that her laptop is in the backseat of her car. Mary wakes up in the morning refreshed after a great night’s sleep. She goes out to her car, ready to hit the road, only to discover that her back window has been smashed open and her laptop is gone. She didn’t have any of her photos or other information backed up via “the cloud” because she didn’t know how to use it, and frankly didn’t trust it with any of her data. All of the photos stored on her computer, along with all the other personal information she had stored on her laptop, are gone, and she can’t get any of it back! 

If Mary had used cloud-based storage software like Google Photos or iCloud to back up or store copies of her documents and photos, all she would have to do is log into her Google Photos account or iCloud account using her email address and password. Mary can then redownload all of her documents, photos, music, and contacts onto her new computer. After that, her digital life is right back where it was before her laptop was stolen. 

While the above example is scary, people have their phones and laptops stolen every day. The thought of storing your most important digital documents and photos on something that you can’t see or feel may sound scary, but the thought of losing all your files forever is even scarier. 

The truth is that Cloud-based storage solutions are very safe and secure. They are owned, operated, and managed by major tech companies, such as Apple and Google. These companies have safeguards in place to make sure nothing happens to your information. If anything were to happen, these companies would be held liable for any damages done to your data. 

Most smartphone and computer users now rely on Cloud storage to keep their personal and business information safe, sound, and easily accessible. I hope this article helped explain a little bit about Cloud Storage and its advantages over native storage options. Check back next week to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of external hard drives compared to Cloud Storage.