Difference Between Cloud-Based Storage And Backup

We frequently hear terms like cloud sync, cloud storage, and cloud backup linked with the cloud. Still, the concept of cloud space is relatively unclear and confusing. So we need to know about what is cloud-based storage and backup and what is the difference between cloud-based storage and backup.

The shared goal of both, cloud storage and cloud backup is to simply protect the user’s data and make their life easier. But both are not the same at all. Cloud storage can not provide you the peace of mind that cloud backup can. In simple words, we can differentiate them as the backup saves the user’s data in case of loss or damage while the storage creates a gateway to access information from anywhere.

But before we jump up to the difference between cloud-based storage and backup, we need to know what exactly these terms are and what they mean. So let’s start with the word “Cloud”.  You would be thinking what are cloud services? It seems like a computer in the sky. Thankfully we know that we don’t have data centers floating above us, right? So the term cloud describes a service provided in someone else’s data center. The word “someone else” here refers to big cloud providers like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. In the next paragraphs, you will understand what is difference between cloud-based storage and backup with definition.

Cloud storage

The word itself describes its meaning. Cloud storage means putting your information into a cloud which is an offsite safe and secure location that will keep your data safe. It is simply like some external drive in an offset location that can be easily accessed via the internet. Cloud storage provides storage to folders where users can store as much data as they want and can edit them whenever needed. The best feature it offers is safety and availability as it is available in almost every circumstance.

The cloud providers make use of Amazon Web Services(AWS) or Microsoft Azure to store the data which ensure data recovery and privacy in all condition. Another benefit of cloud storage is that an external storage device, they have limited storage and after some time you need to buy it. You can not just upgrade it but in cloud storage, you can store as many data files as you want, you just need to increase your subscription fee and update the storage space to a large one.

Advantages of Cloud storage:

• It provides you easy excess to your files from anywhere or from any device.
• Storage space is not limited, if you need more, you can purchase it.
• It can be interfaced via some cloud sync utilities.
• It is a much better option than carrying around removal storage devices everywhere.

File Access from Anywhere – People who work remotely benefit from cloud storage since it allows them convenient access to all of their data from any location. To access your data, you don’t even need to bring a laptop or USB drive. Only the internet is required for you to access your info. You can keep your data in cloud storage if there isn’t any physical space on your system.

Need of cloud storage

The main facility provided by cloud storage is that it is highly accessible. It is storage that could be accessed from any place and any device. You can access your public cloud storage as long as you have access to the internet.

Cloud Backup

Backup could be considered as the software operating under a set of rules, sending a copy of the user’s data to cloud storage. A good quality, fully functional backup service’s most attractive quality is that it should automatically back up data regularly. Its additional feature includes privacy, encryption, etc. It encrypts the data and uses some password authentication to maintain privacy.

Cloud backup is usually designed to copy data present on your local storage space such as a computer or laptop to a remote location or can be called cloud-based accounts, and it also provides multiple versions of each file. If in any case, your system is damaged or loses data due to some reason, cloud backup can help you in retrieving back data.

Suppose if your file gets affected by the virus, the backup of that file will not be affected by the virus. The primary data is stored in the original location while the secondary data is stored in cloud storage securely so that it can be backed up when needed. The backup process runs in the background automatically and does not need any action from the user. The cloud backup is subscription-based which requires a monthly or annual fee while some of the providers provide a lifetime subscription with a one-time payment.

Advantages of Cloud backup:

• Automated backup facility.
• Makes multiple versions of users’ data.
• Stores user’s file to cloud space automatically.
• Maintains privacy.
• Data can be easily restored.
• It protects the backup data with encryption.
• It allows users to migrate their data.

Need of cloud backup

Cloud backup is very essential to prevent data loss. With cloud storage also there was a  possibility of getting loss of data due to ransomware attacks or end-user errors. But in the cloud backup option, a safe copy of your data is stored in separate storage space for infinite time, which allows you to back up when needed.

Difference Between Cloud-Based Storage and Backup

Although both the terms, cloud storage, and cloud backup sounds similar, they are slightly different from each other. They share a common feature of protecting user’s data and providing them ease but in cloud storage, you can only save data so that it can be retrieved from anywhere but it can get deleted, while in cloud backup it stores the data as well as provide a backup also in case if data gets deleted.

Let’s see some differences between cloud-based storage and backup mentioned below:

S.No	Cloud Storage Features	Cloud Backup Features
1.	The main aim of cloud storage is to store files online so that they could be accessible to work with, from anywhere, and on any device.	The main of cloud backup is to back up the files and store them safely so that they can be retrieved again in case of loss of original data.
2.	There is no status reporting with which you can see if all files are stored in a remote location or not.	There is clear status reporting on the successful backup of every file. This makes it easy to know if all files are safe or not.
3.	Cloud storage can be compared to a cloud-based USB flash drive.	A cloud backup is a kind of insurance for business continuity.
4.	Maximum services only have a web interface for you to upload files. Therefore files can only be encrypted on one side which makes them less secure.	Encryption and upload of your files are managed by local client software. It is highly encrypted which makes it safer.
5.	Changes can be made in original data actively and used from and to the cloud.	A copy of primary data is stored in the storage and changes made in primary data/original data will not affect the secondary one.
6.	Files need to be manually selected or placed in a shared folder to be synced.	The backup process is automatic, no manual work is needed.
7.	In cloud storage, only files and folders can be stored (not application data).	Cloud backup can back up all files, including located and hidden files. It has special plugins available in it to back up data from third-party applications (ex. MS Outlook, SQL, Hyper-V).
8.	Only the actively used files are most likely and preferred to be put online storage as files are synced to all devices.	In a geo-redundant setting, files are transferred to the cloud. It also fixes corrupted files by restoring their earlier version and the retention can be as long as you need it to be.
9.	So, if you need your files to be accessed from anywhere, use cloud storage.	If you want to keep your data secure and maintain privacy, use cloud backup.

Conclusion

So, in this article, you have seen the difference between cloud-based storage and backup. This article briefly explained all the points about cloud storage and cloud computing to make you clear about their differences. You have seen that cloud storage is used to provide you easy excess to your files from anywhere or from any device while cloud backup is used to back up the files and store them safely so that they can be retrieved again in case of loss of original data. We hope it is now clear to you what is cloud storage, what is cloud backup, and what is the difference between cloud-based storage and backup.