Cloud Hosting

We all have been through portable HDD, pen drives, and whatnot. However, technology changes overnight and today cloud storage is affordable and secure as well. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of using cloud storage versus a portable HDD.

Over the years, i have used multiple portable hard drives, some came with their power supply, some were small while some were big. Then one day, i dropped one of the portable HDDs from my desk, and things changed.

The portable HDD had drop protection and a bit of armor, however, even with no visible damage falling from a height of maybe 2-3feet, my computer refused to recognize the drive at all. Basically, the HDD was ruined and all my data was lost.

Here is how that happened.

Pros

1. All data in one place, My pictures, videos, documents, files, and important documents were in one place.

2. Easy access from all devices, Google drive is accessible from all devices, hence I had access to all my data all the time. Even from Apple devices like iPhones, iPad, and MacBooks.

3. Traveling, This is a boon while traveling as you can carry all your documents, tickets, itinerary, and IDs on the cloud and retrieve them in seconds.

4. No risk of data loss - While there is always a risk but these big tech firms are much better at handling data than me or u.

5. All you need is an internet connection.

Cons

1. Data Mining - Companies have access to your data, not that they are going to do something negative with it, but if it's sensitive data it's best not to keep it on the cloud.

2. Hacking - It's on the cloud, and only protected by your password, and we know how that works. If anyone gets your password they get access to all your data as well. While things like 2-factor-authentication and others do add extra protection, there is no comparison to having your data physically with you on a drive.

3. Not a one-time cost, Cloud storage is a monthly or a yearly expense, unlike portable HDD which are a one-time cost.

4. Internet connection, You NEED an internet connection to access your files. While the internet is everywhere now, still storing and downloading larger files will require a fast n reliable connection.

5. Added cost of the internet - Apart from paying for the cloud storage, you also need to factor in the cost of internet access that you will need to access your data.

While I have mentioned Google Drive specifically, there are multiple cloud storage providers and you can choose any of them.

Pricing

similarly, Microsoft's Onedrive is another popular cloud storage option that comes with extra benefits like access to Microsoft Office as well. The basic plan starts at INR 4,899 (annual billing) for 1TB of storage and includes access to Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

See the article here:
Pro and Cons of using Cloud Storage like Google Drive versus a portable HDD - Times Now