Malling U3A Computer Group

Cloud StorageChris Daly – 3rd April 2017

Storage not memory In digital devices data has to be retained to make

it work (i.e. operating system)

You also want to keep any saved information(documents, photos etc)

Often there is confusion between Storage andMemory when discussing digital devices.

Storage not memory Storage is where information is stored (such as

Word documents, photos, programs etc). In a computer, the whole operating system itself,

such as Windows 10 or Mac OS, is also stored onthe internal storage device.

Storage is nonvolatile, meaning that theinformation is still there when the is turned off.

It's like a book or a paper notebook that's alwaysthere, ready for you to read or write on.

Storage not memory

Memory (system memory, random accessmemory, or RAM), on the other hand, is whereinformation is being processed and manipulated.

Data in the system memory is volatile, meaningthat when the computer is turned off, it's gone.

The memory becomes blank, as if nothing hasbeen there before.

Today we’re discussing storage.

Storage Capacity To store data, generally lots of space is required. Units of data are:-

Byte (symbol: B): Byte is generally the smallestunit in digital storage. You can think of 1 byte asone character in a document.

Kilobyte (KB or kB): By general definition, onekilobyte is 1,024 bytes.

Megabyte (MB): By general definition, 1megabyte is 1,024,000 bytes, or 1,000kB

Gigabyte (GB): By general definition, 1 gigabyteis 1,000,000,000 bytes, or 1,000MB

Terabyte (TB): By general definition, 1 terabyteis 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, or 1,000GB

Storage Capacity

Typical storage capacities Byte (B): A single character – a, 1, &, space. Kilobyte (KB or kB): Typical word page 20-50kB

An email 2-10kB each Megabyte (MB): Photos 2-10MB each

mp3 music track 4MB

Storage Capacity2GB storage - assuming the average photo size is 2MB, average

Mp3 size is 4MB and the average film size is 500MB

Storage Currently, the largest 3.5-inch hard drive

(commonly found inside a desktop computer)offers 4TB of storage space.

Most computers come with drives with capacitiesof somewhere between 120GB and 2TB.

Most mobile devices, such as tablets orsmartphones, use built in Solid State memory.

They offer between 8GB and 120GB of storagespace.

Storage Often storage space may run out on a computer. Options are

Buy another HDD and install alongside original Replace original HDD with a larger one. Buy an external HDD and wire through USB

(DAS – Direct Attached Storage) Buy and external HDD and connect through

home WiFi network (NAS – Network AttachedStorage)

Use remote storage space – Cloud storage.

Storage Sometimes you may need access to saved data

such as documents, photos etc across multipledevices.

Need to ensure the latest data is being used orseen on all devices.

Access this data both within the home and whenout.

Share data (documents, photos etc) with others All the above could use some form of cloud

storage for ease of use and accessibility.

The Cloud What is The Cloud ? “The cloud” exists in far-flung data centres, which you

access via the internet. It is a collection of networked computer hardware that

works together to provide many aspects of computingin the form of online services.

The hardware is called data servers, which arethousands of high capacity HDD linked together.

You can’t physically touch the hardware itself in thepublic cloud.

You control it remotely via web interfaces.

Cloud Storage What is Cloud Storage

– Cloud storage involves putting data onhardware in a remote physical location.

– It can be accessed from any device via theinternet.

– Clients send files to a data server maintained bya cloud provider instead of (or as well as) storingit on their own hard drives

– It could be a storage system (NAS) in your homeaccessed via your WiFi network (“WD MyCloud”)

The Cloud

Cloud Storage We all use cloud systems when

using our computers or mobiledevices.

Our Internet Service Provider (ISP)stores all our accounts on remoteservers.

Our email provider stores our emailson remote servers.

Streaming services for music, sport& films (Netflix, Amazon, BT) storethem on remote servers.

Catchup TV (Sky, BT, Virgin) isdownloaded from remote servers.

Facebook, Twitter etc all work viathe cloud.

Cloud Storage• Where is my Data ? – In Data Centres• Anything you’ve uploaded to the cloud, exists on

dedicated servers housed in vast warehouses, oftensituated on campuses full of such warehouses.

• Data centres are owned by cloud service providers, whoare responsible for keeping the servers up and running.

• The job of all data centres is to keep your data physicallysafe from theft and destruction, and to make sure it’savailable whenever you want to access it.

• They run extensive cooling systems to keep theelectronics from overheating and have at least onebackup generator in case of power outages.

Cloud Storage• Once you’ve put your data in the cloud, it may be

physically stored in many different places, countries oreven continents.

• Cloud providers make multiple copies of the data youupload, and store these in different places to ensure itwon’t get destroyed or be inaccessible in the event anatural disaster takes out one of the centres.

• The physical location of their stored data is irrelevant tothe majority of people, since it can be called together overthe internet almost instantly.

• For certain sensitive types of data – e.g. governmentdocuments or health records – understanding where thedata is headed and which data-protection and privacylaws apply in those places becomes critical.

Cloud Storage

Cloud Storage How safe is my data ? Cloud providers store backups in multiple locations. Systems that detect smoke, suppress fires and provide

emergency power are also standard features of data centres. Locations are heavily reinforced, guarded and internally

protected to prevent intruders or disgruntled employees fromphysically harming or stealing the storage hardware.

To secure your data cloud systems use authenticationprocesses like usernames and passwords to limit access.

They use data encryption to protect data that is stolen orintercepted en route.

But passwords can be hacked; often it’s the service providerwho holds the encryption keys to your data, meaning thatrogue employees could access it; and your data isn’t immuneto search and seizure by government entities.

Cloud Storage To improve security Multi Factor verification is available to

use on many websites (banking, emails) and storageservices.

5 reasons to use cloud storage1 Access your documents anywhere• The main advantage of keeping your documents in the cloud is that you can

access them virtually anywhere with an internet connection. All cloudstorage services have their own apps you can install on your mobile device.Most cloud storage services can also be used via browser.

2 Share your documents easily• Sharing is another important reason to use a cloud service. Usually, the

person you decide to share a file or a folder with needs to be a user of thatsame cloud storage service.

3 Keep your documents safe• Mobile devices can get broken or lost quite easily. Using a cloud storage as

a depository for your files ensures they are safe should your device getbroken or lost.

4 Get cloud storage space for free or at very low cost• Almost all cloud storage services operate on the “freemium” model, where

you get a certain amount of space free of charge, and more when you pay.5 Accumulate a personal file archive in the cloud you can use in different

occasions• Show photos to your friends & relatives. Share documents with others. Why

not accumulate a personal archive in the cloud you can access anywhere,anytime?

Cloud StorageAdvantages of Cloud Storage1. Usability: Most cloud storage services have desktop folders

for Mac’s and PC’s. This allows users to drag and drop filesbetween the cloud storage and their local storage.

2. Bandwidth: You can avoid emailing files to individuals andinstead send a web link to recipients through your email.

3. Accessibility: Stored files can be accessed from anywherevia Internet connection.

4. Disaster Recovery: Cloud storage can be used as a back‐upplan by by providing a second copy of important files. Thesefiles are stored at a remote location and can be accessedthrough an internet connection.

5. Cost Savings: Businesses and organizations can oftenreduce annual operating costs by using cloud storage; Userscan see additional cost savings because it does not requireinternal power to store information remotely.

Cloud StorageDisadvantages of Cloud Storage1. Usability: Be careful when using drag/drop to move a

document into the cloud storage folder. This will permanentlymove your document from its original folder to the cloudstorage location. Do a copy and paste instead of drag/drop ifyou want to retain the document’s original location in additionto moving a copy onto the cloud storage folder.

2. Bandwidth: Several cloud storage services have a specificbandwidth allowance.

3. Accessibility: If you have no internet connection, you have noaccess to your data.

4. Data Security: There are concerns with the safety and privacyof important data stored remotely.

5. Software: If you want to be able to manipulate your fileslocally through multiple devices, you’ll need to download theservice on all devices.

Cloud Storage Some main providers of Cloud Storage for personal

use are :- Google Drive MS OneDrive Dropbox Amazon Cloud Drive Box Mega Sugarsync Mozy Knowhow (Currys/PC World) LiveDrive iCloud

Cloud Storage Each supplier has a different amount of free space

Knowhow none, Dropbox 2GB, iCloud 5GB, Mega50GB

They don’t work on all platforms. Dropbox covers the most systems

Windows, MAC, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone,Blackberry, Kindle Fire.

iCloud covers only MAC, iOS & Windows Some have limits on file size.

Box 250MB, Dropbox 10GB, Mega none Pricing plans vary considerably – avg yearly cost/GB

Knowhow 3p, Dropbox 10p or £132/year unlimited,iCloud 19p, Amazon Drive 34p, Google Photosunlimited free.

Cloud Storage With all systems an application is downloaded to

your PC & an App to your mobile device. On your PC a separate folder is usually created in

which you keep everything to send to the cloud. Some systems will automatically sync types of

files and folders – Photos, Music. Once in use everything you choose to sync will be

available on all devices, once they have alsosynced via the internet.

Many systems allow you to share files to otherswithout an account via an URL link pasted in anemail.

Cloud Storage• PC Advisor Review• Dropbox is still a good choice thanks to the sheer number of

platforms it supports. If something is going to link to a cloudprovider you can bet that Dropbox is most likely the first on thelist.

• Google Drive and OneDrive are both excellent options if youuse Chromebooks or Microsoft Office respectively.

• If you want loads of free storage, then Mega really impressedus with its 50GB of free storage.

• Tresorit and pCloud are two services that deserve a lot ofattention. Security is a very important consideration these daysand both of these manage to provide encryption in a way thatdoesn’t interrupt a normal workflow and is easy to manage -especially in the paid versions.

• Amazon shouldn't be overlooked, and its unlimited storage for£55 per year is good value if you have gigabytes upongigabytes of files that need backing up.

Cloud Storage

The bottom line is that we live in an age wherenational governments have been exposed fortapping into supposedly private cloud data.

• Savvy surfers would be wise to keep anythingtruly sensitive stored on their personalcomputer or private cloud behind a firewall, andnever upload it to the public cloud.