Where should I put all my files? Cloud vs. Local storage

                 Where to store your files is becoming one of the biggest questions facing the tech industry today.  Should we as a company ‘go to the cloud’ or keep our files locally?    Why should we as a company spend the money on file storage infrastructure when we can pay a service to do it for us? While both solutions have their advantages, they both have some nasty disadvantages as well.  In this post, we will discuss those advantages and disadvantages and what they could mean for your company.

What is the Cloud?  A quick Google search shows (after 4 Google Ads at the top of the page) a result from PCMag.com which states:

“…cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the Internet.” (“What is Cloud Computing” PCMag.com, May 3, 2016)

And while this gives a pretty good explanation of what the Cloud is, it can be summed up a bit simpler: 

…the Cloud is just someone else’s computer

That’s about it.  In all reality, the cloud is just a service provided by a company in which you (as an individual or a company) can store your documents over the internet on that providers’ computer.  You can then access your files wherever you are (granted you have an internet connection) without having to store them on the hard drive of the computer you are currently using OR spending the time and money building the infrastructure to store them ‘in-house’. Not only that, but with most cloud storage services, backups of all documents in each account is standard practice.

While the cloud can prove to be very convenient, both in cost and backup services, a business owner must also think about the security of those files in the cloud.  With the almost weekly news of large companies and corporations getting hacked or having sensitive material leak onto the internet, it is only a matter of time for this to happen to these cloud storage providers.  Once the account information and/or the files themselves are stolen, your potentially sensitive material can be exposed to the internet at large. Most importantly, you as a company must be sure to comply with any rules and regulations that may apply to the information in your files (HIPAA, FDIC, etc.).

On the other hand, storing your files ‘in-house’ means you as the business are in charge of your files and information and can better control who has access to your information.  The obvious drawback to this is the equipment and labor cost associated with storing files yourself.  Depending on how big your company is, this could mean a single server or Network Attached Storage device with your IT support person monitoring it, to a large scale server room with a team of IT pros installing, monitoring, upgrading all hardware and software, and watching the network for intruders.  With the higher degree of security and control of your information, the higher the cost will be to your business in order to maintain it.

Both sides have their pros and cons.  What you and your company must understand is that with greater convenience and potential lower cost comes the possibility of ‘someone else’s computer’ getting broken into and your information becoming compromised.  Be sure to read XLNsystems’ Small Business Tech Tips for more articles in the coming weeks, and check out our cyber security blog HERE.

XLNsystems is an IT Security and Custom Software company located in Columbus, Ohio

 

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