Question 1

What is cloud storage?

Accepted Answer

Cloud storage is remote storage infrastructure accessed over the internet. It spans three main categories: file-sync and collaboration tools for teams sharing documents, object storage APIs for developers storing application data and media, and backup services for protecting against data loss. Each serves different use cases and has different pricing, performance, and access models.

Question 2

How much does cloud storage cost?

Accepted Answer

Team file-sync plans start at $10–20 per month for 1–2 TB. Business plans with admin controls and advanced sharing run $15–25 per user per month. Developer object storage is priced per GB stored and per GB egressed — typically $0.01–0.025 per GB stored and $0.01–0.09 per GB transferred. Cold archival storage drops below $0.01 per GB but charges retrieval fees.

Question 3

What is the difference between cloud storage and cloud backup?

Accepted Answer

Cloud storage syncs files across devices and makes them accessible anywhere. Cloud backup creates point-in-time copies of data for recovery after loss or corruption. The critical difference is that storage sync propagates deletions — if you delete a file, it disappears from all devices. Backup retains deleted and previous versions separately, making it the recovery mechanism, not the sync layer.

Question 4

What is object storage?

Accepted Answer

Object storage is a scalable storage system accessed via API, where data is stored as objects rather than files in a folder hierarchy. It is the standard backend for web applications storing images, videos, documents, and large datasets. The dominant API standard is S3-compatible, meaning most object storage providers implement the same interface originally defined by one of the major cloud providers.

Question 5

How do I choose between cloud storage providers?

Accepted Answer

Start with the data type you are storing and your access pattern. For team collaboration, evaluate sync client quality, sharing permissions, and platform integrations. For application data, calculate total cost including egress fees at your expected transfer volume. For backup, verify versioning retention period and recovery SLAs. Compliance requirements narrow eligible providers before cost becomes the deciding factor.

Question 6

Are cloud storage services GDPR compliant?

Accepted Answer

Major providers offer GDPR-compliant configurations, including EU data residency, data-processing agreements, and appropriate technical and organisational measures. GDPR compliance is a configuration and contract question, not just a platform feature — you must select the correct region, sign a DPA, and configure access controls correctly. A platform that is GDPR-capable is not automatically GDPR-compliant for your specific use case.

Cloud Storage marketplace

IDrive

Google Workspace

Google Services

TeraBox