CLOUD STORAGE

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Context: Cloud security is a major concern for businesses and individuals in India, as well as globally.

Details

• According to a 2023 survey by Thales Cloud Security, which surveyed nearly 3,000 IT and security professionals from 18 countries, 68% of businesses in India and 75% of businesses globally reported that more than 40% of their cloud data is sensitive. Moreover, 35% of organisations in India experienced a cloud data breach in the previous year.
• The risks of cloud data breaches are evident from several recent incidents in India. For example, in June, a Telegram bot allegedly leaked the personal data of Indian citizens who registered with the CoWIN portal, the official platform for COVID-19 vaccination.
  • The Health Ministry denied any data leak and said that the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) was investigating the security infrastructure of the portal.
• Although these breaches were fixed after the organisations and authorities were alerted, they could have serious implications for the affected users. In particular, personally identifiable information could be exploited by malicious actors to target their financial assets and online accounts.

Cloud Storage

About

• Cloud storage is a term that refers to the practice of storing data on remote servers that are accessed via the Internet.
• It allows users to access their data from anywhere, anytime, and on any device, without having to worry about the physical location, capacity, or maintenance of their own storage devices.
• It also offers benefits such as scalability, reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness.

Features

Scalability

• Cloud storage allows users to easily adjust their storage capacity according to their needs, without having to invest in additional hardware or software. Users can also take advantage of the elasticity of the cloud, which means that they can scale up or down their storage resources on demand.

Reliability

• Cloud storage ensures that users' data is always available and accessible, even in the event of a disaster or outage. Cloud storage providers typically use multiple servers and locations to store data redundantly, and employ backup and recovery mechanisms to prevent data loss or corruption.

Security

• Cloud storage protects users' data from unauthorized access or theft, by using encryption, authentication, authorization, and auditing techniques. Cloud storage providers also comply with various standards and regulations regarding data privacy and security.

Cost-effectiveness

• Cloud storage reduces the costs associated with owning and managing storage devices, such as hardware purchase, installation, maintenance, upgrade, power consumption, etc. Users only pay for the amount of storage they use and can benefit from economies of scale and lower operational expenses.

Significances

Collaboration

• Cloud storage enables users to share and collaborate on files and documents with others in real time, regardless of their location or device. Users can also sync their files across multiple devices and platforms, and access them offline if needed.

Productivity

• Cloud storage improves users' productivity by allowing them to access their data anytime and anywhere they need it. Users can also leverage the cloud's computing power and analytics capabilities to process and analyze their data faster and more efficiently.

Innovation

• Cloud storage fosters innovation by allowing users to experiment with new ideas and technologies without worrying about the limitations or risks of their own storage devices. Users can also tap into the cloud's vast resources and services to create new products and solutions.

Sustainability

• Cloud storage contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption associated with traditional storage devices.
• Cloud storage providers also adopt green practices such as using renewable energy sources and optimizing their resource utilization.

Challenges

Compatibility

• Cloud storage may not be compatible with some legacy applications or systems that rely on specific formats or protocols for data storage. Users may need to migrate or integrate their existing data sources with the cloud storage platform they choose.

Performance

• Cloud storage may suffer from performance issues such as latency or bandwidth limitations due to network congestion or distance between the user and the cloud server. Users may need to optimize their network configuration or use edge computing techniques to improve their cloud storage performance.

Security

• Cloud storage may expose users' data to potential threats such as cyberattacks or data breaches due to human errors or malicious actors. Users may need to adopt best practices such as encrypting their data at rest and in transit, using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication, monitoring their cloud activity logs, etc.

Compliance

• Cloud storage may pose challenges for users who need to comply with certain laws or regulations regarding data sovereignty or retention. Users may need to select a cloud storage provider that meets their compliance requirements or use hybrid or multi-cloud solutions to store their data across different jurisdictions or locations.

Developments that are shaping the future of cloud storage are:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

• AI and ML are enhancing the capabilities and functionalities of cloud storage by enabling features such as data classification, deduplication, compression, encryption, anomaly detection, etc. AI and ML are also helping users to gain insights and value from their data stored on the cloud.

Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G

• IoT and 5G are increasing the demand and supply of cloud storage by generating and transmitting massive amounts of data from various devices and sensors connected to the internet. IoT and 5G are also enabling new use cases and applications for cloud storage such as smart cities, autonomous vehicles, telemedicine, etc.

Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

• Blockchain and DLT are providing alternative solutions for cloud storage by creating decentralized and distributed networks of nodes that store and verify data transactions. Blockchain and DLT are also enhancing the security and transparency of cloud storage by using cryptography and consensus mechanisms.

Edge Computing

• Edge computing is complementing cloud storage by bringing data processing and storage closer to the source or user, thereby reducing latency and bandwidth consumption. Edge computing is also improving the reliability and availability of cloud storage by providing backup and failover options.

Conclusion

• Cloud storage is a convenient and cost-effective way to store and access data from anywhere, anytime. Cloud storage offers many benefits such as scalability, reliability, security, and flexibility. However, it also has some challenges such as privacy, compliance, and bandwidth. Therefore, users should carefully evaluate their needs and preferences before choosing a cloud storage provider. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a dynamic and evolving technology that can meet different requirements and expectations.

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Cloud Services: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/cloud-services

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. What is cloud storage? A) A service that allows users to store and access data on remote servers over the internet. B) A device that allows users to store and access data on local disks over a network. C) A software that allows users to store and access data on encrypted partitions over a VPN. D) A protocol that allows users to store and access data on distributed nodes over a blockchain. Answer: A Explanation: Cloud storage is a service that enables users to save data on off-site servers that are maintained by third-party providers, who offer access to the data through the internet.

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