Cloud storage, first envisioned by J.C.R Licklider in the 1960s, has evolved significantly into a service used by an estimated 2.3 billion people. This uptake of users has been spurred on by the launch of commercial cloud services such as Amazon’s AWS, Google’s Drive, and Microsoft’s OneDrive.
Many people, however, remain unsure about whether they should use cloud storage or run a cloud server in their homes. While the latter is certainly possible, it has significant drawbacks and can be more costly.
Some of these drawbacks include leaving you less time to enjoy doing other things due to maintenance and less money to spend on entertainment. Passing this responsibility to a service provider means you’ll have more time to enjoy the things you love—and who wouldn’t want more time to focus on their hobbies or get sweepstakes coins for free?
If that reason isn’t enough to convince you, here are several other reasons why paying for cloud storage is better than hosting a home cloud and storing your data locally.
Drawbacks of Local and Home Cloud Storage
Before we explain why paying a service provider for cloud storage is better, let’s go over the cons associated with running your own personal cloud storage from home or using local storage. Some of these cons can be glossed over, while others are more severe and have greater implications.
Security
The most significant concern about hosting a home cloud is security. While this can be managed by installing a firewall or antivirus software or using home cloud software with built-in security features, none of this is as robust as the cutting-edge security provided by commercial clouds.
As such, access to your home cloud could be breached. If you’re using the cloud to store sensitive information, this should be a cause for serious concern and could even lead to hackers ransoming your data.
Accessibility
Aside from security, accessibility is one of the most prominent factors to address when hosting a home cloud. Accessing it requires your home network to be connected 24/7 and your access path (usually a VPN) running constantly to verify your credentials when trying to access the cloud remotely.
Although modern internet allows for this, genuine uninterrupted connections will likely require redundancy on your main network. This comes at an additional cost that is often significant—which is often not justifiable when compared to how often you would need to use this redundancy.
Scalability
Another challenge to hosting your own cloud server is that scalability can be costly (and sometimes impossible). If you need to add more storage to your cloud, you must purchase additional hardware to accommodate it.
If your existing setup doesn’t support expanding storage, you may be required to purchase entirely new hardware and essentially rebuild an entire cloud. Aside from the technical challenges this may present if you’re unfamiliar with the process, the new hardware can cost much more than you’re willing to spend.
Data Safety
Although data loss is possible with any cloud, hosting your own cloud makes this a more prominent danger. Should one of your hard drives fail, this could result in the loss of your data, which, if not backed up, may be unretrievable.
Cloud storage providers, however, regularly back up your data and have redundancy systems in place to ensure it is protected—even in the event of a hardware failure. Having this same level of redundancy at home, whether using local storage or running a home cloud, is usually unrealistic.
Perks of Using a Cloud Storage Provider
Besides mitigating the above risks, using a cloud storage provider rather than hosting a home cloud has many additional perks. Though these perks can vary by provider, they are generally designed to maximize convenience.
Cost
The most significant advantage of using a cloud storage provider is that it can be significantly cheaper. Significant data storage costs are greatly reduced as you don’t have to purchase and host your own hardware.
More than this, many providers offer discounts should you increase your usage or subscribe to an annual plan. This means you can gain access to large quantities of storage space without breaking the bank.
Enhanced Security
As mentioned, home clouds require constant data security. When paying for cloud storage, this responsibility shifts to your provider, who must meet specific data protection standards.
Because these providers often experience attacks, they have dedicated security teams that work around the clock to ensure that data is safe. They also regularly update security protocols, which, alongside features like 2FA (two-factor authentication) and end-to-end encryption, mean your data is as secure as possible.
Collaboration Features
One frequently used perk of cloud storage is the ability to give others access to your data. Storage providers understand this and have included robust collaboration features in packages that allow you and others to access and edit data as required.
This has immense advantages for businesses, but even for individuals it offers various perks such as allowing multiple family members to upload photos from a family holiday to a central folder that everyone can access.
Additional Features
The final advantage of paying for cloud storage is that many providers offer more than just storage. Some, like Microsoft, pair cloud storage subscriptions with other products in their portfolio (such as Microsoft 365). Others, like Dropbox, give access to robust tools like their PDF editor.
This gives additional value for money and access to a range of other features that may otherwise require a separate monthly subscription. Depending on how you use these features, cloud storage may be even more cost-effective than you would initially assume.
Privacy Concerns
One of the most prominent concerns about paying a provider for cloud storage is that your data is no longer in your control and can be accessed by somebody else. While valid, this concern holds less water than many believe.
All providers have robust and extensive usage and privacy policies in place when signing up. These policies protect the companies operating the cloud and you and your data by outlining how the company may or may not interact with your data—ensuring your data is still private even if it is on their server.