The Past, Present, and Future of Cloud Storage

If you’ve never tried cloud storage before or don’t even know what it is, it’s a simple concept. Rather than storing all of your computer, phone, tablet, or other device’s information locally on a hard drive, thumb drive, or another storage medium, cloud storage allows you to store files on the internet.

The advantage to storing data this way is that it is accessible from anywhere in the world to anyone who has permission, which is why the concept has become popular with businesses that want to encourage remote working.

The Origins of Cloud Storage

The idea of storing files on remote storage devices began with the forerunner to the internet known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) [2].

Beginning in 1969, this basic network consisted of only four computers. Throughout the 70s and 80s, the idea of cloud storage and cloud computing, which uses multiple computers chained together to act as one, became more popular.

With the rise of personal computing in the 1990s, the term “cloud storage” was finally a shared term rather than an abstract concept.

Cloud Storage in the Mainstream

Once computers were no longer luxuries or tools that required significant expense (a 386SX PC could cost $5,000 or more in 1990 dollars [3]), the idea of offering cloud storage to the average consumer became possible.

While AT&T attempted to offer a rudimentary form of cloud storage called PersonaLink Services in 1994, the concept died after only two years and wouldn’t be resurrected to true success until Amazon introduced its S3 cloud storage in 2006 [4]. Soon after came Mozy, Carbonite, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

Cloud Storage as Data Backup

With the rise of affordable cloud storage came a viable method of backing up sensitive data. As storage size grew, the cost per megabyte decreased [5].

Instead of relying solely on physical media, such as hard disk drives, solid state drives, thumb drives, CDs/DVDs, and other optical media, users could store important files in a cloud storage service of their choice.

Many services offer small amounts of storage at no cost. Dropbox, for instance, allows users to create a free account with 2GB of storage [6]. Google offers 15GB of free storage [7].

Cloud Storage as a Business Tool

Another benefit of cloud storage is that it allows instant collaboration from users worldwide. Thanks to internet speeds rising so that real-time participation in shared files became possible, many businesses adopted cloud storage into their strategies.

Google Drive contains tools such as Google Sheets and Google Docs that let multiple users simultaneously manipulate a document. As virtual reality has become more popular, businesses such as Meta have begun testing VR meeting rooms where projects can be worked on as if all participants were in the same room [8].

The Decline of Physical Media

The benefits of cloud storage have caused physical media sales to decline dramatically, especially those containing music.

Because information sharing across the internet is such a fast process and many artists have chosen to release their music on free services such as YouTube and Spotify, music sales in general, be they physical or digital, have declined sharply since 2005 [9].

Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime allow users to view content that previously would have required a physical tape or disc to consume.

Cloud Storage and Ownership

In regards to movies, music, video games, and other media purchases via the cloud, in many instances, the purchaser does not own the purchased media [10].

When a user purchases a movie on Amazon Prime, for instance, what the user has actually purchased is the privilege of viewing the movie for as long as Amazon Prime exists or allows the content to be viewed.

Some companies allow users to maintain the digital ownership rights of content they’ve purchased, such as CD Projekt Red’s Good Old Games [11], and will allow users to re-download games if needed.

How Cloud Data Can Be Lost

While cloud storage has allowed for unprecedented levels of data retention and collaboration, it’s still possible to lose files stored in the cloud [12]. For this reason, cloud storage must be viewed as one of several methods for backing up data rather than the only method.

First, it’s possible for users to accidentally delete their own data, and unlike with a local hard drive, data recovery won’t be possible. Second, users can accidentally overwrite cloud data.

How Cloud Data Can Be Insecure

Another danger of cloud storage is that it can be insecure if the appropriate levels of security are not in place. Sensitive data can fall into the wrong hands if scammers or hackers access the right user credentials.

Unsecured data is a large enough problem that the US Department of Defense created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standard to outline the level of security they expect from their subcontractors [13].

The Future of Cloud Storage and Cloud Computing

Prices will also continue to fall while storage sizes rise, but speed seems to be the next dramatic shift [14]. As cloud data access speeds up, users may begin relying on the cloud not just for storage but to perform tasks their home computers might not be able to handle.

One particularly intense use for a computer is gaming, which requires powerful processors, video cards, memory, and large storage capacity. Internet speeds have risen enough that several companies such as Nvidia, Google, and Amazon have been able to offer cloud gaming services [15].

Rather than users relying on their own hardware to run games, they play games on a remote server. This setup keeps users from spending thousands of dollars on a gaming PC.

As users rely more on the cloud to handle every computing need, home computers, phones, and other devices may become little more than access points to a remote processing service. While strides are still made regarding reliability, security, and connection speeds, the shift to 100% cloud services may be inevitable [16].