{"id":19824,"date":"2020-01-28T14:14:04","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T14:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/cloud-storage"},"modified":"2026-09-14T20:23:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T20:23:49","slug":"cloud-storage","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/cloud-storage","title":{"rendered":"Cloud Storage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright size-full wp-image-22917\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/cloud-storage.jpg\" alt=\"Cloud storage\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" style=\"margin-top:0;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/cloud-storage.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/cloud-storage-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cloud storage<\/strong> is a service that stores data and files on remote infrastructure and makes them accessible through a network. The provider manages the physical systems and services used to store, retrieve, and transfer the information.<\/p>\n<p>It is part of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/cloud-computing\">cloud computing<\/a><\/strong>, but not every cloud service is primarily designed for file storage. Data location, availability, and processing depend on the architecture purchased, the regions used, and the provider&#8217;s terms.<\/p>\n\n<h2>How cloud storage works<\/h2>\n<p>Files are transferred from a browser, an application, or a programming interface. The service authenticates the user, applies permissions, and stores the information on one or more systems. <strong>Connections, encryption, and access controls<\/strong> protect different parts of the process and should be configured according to the sensitivity of the data.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the technical requirement, storage can be organized in three main ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Object storage:<\/strong> stores each item with metadata and an identifier. It is used for images, documents, backups, media files, and large volumes of unstructured data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>File storage:<\/strong> presents shared folders and paths similar to those of a file system. It supports work with documents and resources used by multiple users or applications.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Block storage:<\/strong> divides information into blocks that a system can treat as a disk volume. It is common for databases and workloads that need low-latency access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A provider may replicate data across devices or data centers to improve availability. <strong>Replication reduces certain failures<\/strong>, but it is not by itself a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/backup\">backup<\/a> with tested history, retention, and restoration.<\/p>\n<h2>Advantages and limitations<\/h2>\n<p>The value of the service depends on its purpose, configuration, and contractual terms. Common advantages include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Controlled access:<\/strong> files can be retrieved from different devices and shared through users, groups, permissions, or links.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scalability:<\/strong> capacity can be increased or reduced without installing new disks directly in each device.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Collaboration:<\/strong> multiple people can work with common resources, versions, and approval workflows when the platform provides them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Delegated operations:<\/strong> the provider maintains the physical infrastructure, although the customer remains responsible for accounts, permissions, classification, and use of the data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cloud storage does not remove risk.<\/strong> It may create dependence on connectivity and the provider, capacity or transfer costs, recovery limits, account lockout, and difficulties when moving large volumes. Privacy, data residency, and legal obligations also need to be assessed.<\/p>\n<p>Password access alone is not enough to protect sensitive information. <strong>Multi-factor authentication, least-privilege permissions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/encryption\">encryption<\/a>, and log reviews<\/strong> help reduce exposure, but their availability and scope vary between services.<\/p>\n<h2>Differences between storage, synchronization, and backup<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Cloud storage<\/strong> means retaining data on remote infrastructure. <strong>Synchronization<\/strong> keeps one or more locations updated with the same changes. If a file is deleted or changed by mistake, synchronization may reproduce that change across every device.<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>backup<\/strong> keeps a copy intended for recovery and requires a versioning, retention, and restoration testing policy. A storage service may include these functions, but they should not be assumed. For a website, it also does not replace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/hosting\">hosting<\/a>, which provides the resources needed to publish and run the site.<\/p>\n<p>The choice should consider <strong>what data will be stored, who needs access, how long it must be retained, and how it will be recovered<\/strong>. Export formats, data egress costs, service agreements, and procedures for closing or migrating the account should also be checked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What cloud storage is, how it works, its types, benefits, risks, and differences from synchronization and backup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":79603,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1267],"class_list":["post-19824","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-web-infrastructure"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/19824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=19824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}