A backup and storage service over the Internet. Cloud storage providers generally let users upload any size and type of computer file. Also called "online storage," "public cloud storage" and "file hosting," customer files can be downloaded to anyone's computer with a Web browser and password. While some providers require paid subscriptions, many are freemium based, offering a limited amount of storage for free and higher capacities for a fee.
Manual and Automatic Backup
Although any server in a company network or any Internet-based storage service such as Dropbox and Box can be used to store files for backup, users must initiate the upload. In contrast, providers dedicated to "backup as a service" (BaaS) perform automatic periodic uploading. They may also keep multiple versions of a file for a certain length of time because a corrupted file may have been damaged prior to the last version uploaded. Carbonite, IDrive and Acronis Backup and Recovery are examples of dedicated backup services. See
media sharing site.
Synchronization
Keeping the same files in sync in all the user's devices is another feature of storage providers. For example, Apple, Google and Microsoft include cloud storage and synchronization as an incentive to keep users within the fold. See
iCloud,
Google Drive and
OneDrive.
Content Management/Delivery
Cloud storage providers that keep data for automatic downloading to websites and user applications fall under the "content management" umbrella (see
CDN). See
cloud computing,
cloud storage gateway,
cloud music storage,
S3 cloud storage,
Amazon Glacier,
Google Storage and
external storage.