Cloud file hosting (or storage) is a method for storing data files in a cloud environment in which a provider maintains the servers and hardware that is used to maintain and access the data. A cloud file system is the same as a hierarchical file system that is available on a user’s computer except that it is stored remotely and enables shared access. This means that users that have access can add, delete, modify, view and organize files in the same way that they would on a local computer. Access to the files is controlled through user and group permissions managed by administrators to securely control who has access.
There are many benefits to cloud file hosting including:
• Scalability – because cloud providers have huge data centers they have the ability to increase capacity and performance as the user’s needs grow. This is done automatically and transparently with no need for the user to estimate the provisioning they may require in the future.
• Interoperability – many systems and applications require integration to be performed so that they can share file services; cloud file storage enables a company to rely on the cloud provider to provide interoperability functions for access to data; they no longer need to write code to have shared file access.
• Reduced Cost – maintaining a file system requires capital expenditure on hardware, employees, on-going maintenance, upgrades and site costs (such as power and cooling). With cloud file hosting a company only needs to pay a set fee for the resources they use and can deploy the capital saved to bring value to other parts of their business.
There are many use-cases that are particularly well suited to cloud file storage; the ability to support and easily integrate with existing applications as well as the ease with which a file storage solution can be deployed, managed and maintained in the cloud makes it a good solution for a number of applications including:
• Web Serving – file storage for web applications can be challenging, especially when backend compatibility is an issue. Cloud file storage solutions adhere to a standard set of file system semantics and naming conventions that make it easy to integrate them with web-based applications.
• Content Management Systems – these systems, like web serving applications, usually rely on multiple servers to deliver content and similar naming convention issues; because cloud storage standardizes, these the cloud storage of documents and files can be easily integrated with large content management systems.
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