Cloud Storage What is Cloud Storage? Local ≈ “Your computer” Cloud ≈ “The Internet” Cloud storage ≈ Internet Storage Pros and Cons of Cloud Storage • Pros • Accessible from many devices, and the web • Cost efficient • Virtually endless storage available • Sharing of files • Cons • Requires internet to access, generally • Slower access What can I do with cloud storage? • Store just about anything you could store locally • Use for backup • Sync files to/from multiple devices • Share files with friends & colleagues • more…. Is cloud storage safe? • Typically requires a username and password login • Can be encrypted • Cloud storage is usually redundantly backed up • Vendors employ security systems and personnel • In many ways, safer than your local storage (think flood, fire, theft, encryption, etc) Are there different types of cloud storage? Yes, broadly, they fit into three categories: • Consumer cloud storage vendors** • iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. • Cloud backup vendors** • Backblaze, Mozy, Carbonite, iDrive, etc. • Institutional cloud providers & services • Amazon AWS, IBM Cloud, Oracle, Microsoft Azure, etc. **We’re really only interested in these Where can I get cloud storage? • Generally available from a number of cloud vendors • Microsoft OneDrive • Google Drive • Dropbox • Apple iCloud • Backblaze • Carbonite • Etc… What does cloud storage cost? • Most offer a small amount of storage for free • Additional storage costs extra, usually in tiers • For example, with Dropbox: With Google Drive: Storage 2GB 2TB Storage 15GB 100GB 200GB 2TB Cost Free $10/mo Cost Free $2/mo $3/mo $10/mo What does cloud storage cost? (cont’d) • For cloud backup vendors, the pricing is different • Frequently ‘unlimited’ backup** • Examples: Vendor Backblaze Carbonite iDrive SpiderOak Price $60/yr $72/yr $52/yr $69/yr Data Unlimited Unlimited 5TB 150GB ** Except: versions, external drives, multiple devices, etc OK, so how do I use it? • Example, let’s consider Dropbox: • Create an account • Download the software and install • Login • Dropbox folder appears in your User folder on Mac or PC • Copy or move files to the Dropbox folder to sync to the cloud OK, so how do I use it? (cont’d) • Example, let’s consider Google Drive: • Create an account, or us existing gmail/R’Mail account • Download Google Drive software and install • Login • Google Drive appears as a drive on Mac or PC • Copy or move files to Google Drive to sync to the cloud OK, so how do I use it? (cont’d) • Microsoft OneDrive works just like Dropbox, using a OneDrive folder • Apple iCloud is more idiosyncratic, and tied into the operating system • Carbonite, Backblaze, etc require installation of their software, a username and password, and automatically backup to their corresponding data centers. Cloud backup • Most involve installing a software agent • Backups occur automatically as long as there is an internet connection • Verify policies about file retention, external/mapped drive backups, etc. • For more info: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best- online-backup-service/ Can I use more than one cloud storage product? • Yes! …but you may not want to. • Allows you to take advantage of more space • Compartmentalize your files • Can be confusing to locate your files Demonstration Have you experienced any of these, or other email issues? Questions?.