What is a Cloud Storage Service?

Definition of Cloud Storage Service

Cloud storage service is referred to a cloud computing service offering that provides data storage and accessibility from a cloud storage server / infrastructure / environment.  It is a type of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) service model that delivers scalable and redundant storage capacity through web services API, online interface, and thin client applications. Cloud storage service is also known as utility storage service and storage as a service.

Brief Description of Cloud Storage Service

Cloud storage service primarily provides web applications and services and end users with access to offsite but internet accessible storage.  Cloud storage service is generally hosted and managed by a storage service provider (SSP) that have large clusters of storage servers these storage servers are deployed and designed on storage virtualization architecture that creates a multitenant storage architecture (multiple users share the entire storage capacity) on the storage server. The data from the subscribed end-users and applications are saved in any of the created tenant layer and is accessible through the web browser, API or vendor provided desktop / mobile application.

The cloud storage service is billed under the subscription based pricing model where the user pays a monthly rental for the allotted storage.  This is generally billed on the amount of Gb’s used and can fluctuate every month.

Cloud storage services and are delivered in public, private and hybrid cloud storage models.