Cloud storage Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science revision
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In plain words
"The cloud" sounds like nowhere in particular. It is somewhere very particular: buildings full of other people's computers. Cloud storage means keeping your files on those remote servers and reaching them over the internet, in place of storing them on your own device.
4 things to know
- Cloud storage is storage on remote servers, accessed over the internet. Local storage is on the user's own device.
- Physical servers and storage are still needed. They belong to the provider of the cloud service.
- Advantages: the data can be reached from any device, anywhere there is an internet connection. There is no need to buy and maintain your own storage hardware. More space can be added easily. The provider makes backups.
- Disadvantages: an internet connection is needed, and a slow one makes access slow. There may be a continuing subscription cost. You rely on the provider to keep the data secure and available.
Worked example
A small business is deciding whether to keep its customer records in the cloud or on a hard disk in the office. Give one argument each way.
- For the cloud: staff can reach the records from home or from a customer's site, on any device, and the provider makes backups.
- For local storage: the records are private data, and with the cloud the business must trust another company to keep them secure. Without the internet, the records cannot be reached at all.
Tips and tricks
- Cloud storage is not magic. Say "remote servers" and "accessed over the internet" in any definition.
- Give advantages and disadvantages that fit the situation in the question: a poor internet connection, sensitive data, or staff who travel.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Cloud storage: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Where is data in cloud storage actually kept?
The servers are physical machines in data centres.
What is needed to reach files kept in cloud storage?
No connection, no files.
Which is an advantage of cloud storage?
Any device with an internet connection will do.
Which is a disadvantage of cloud storage?
The data is on someone else's computers.
What is local storage?
A laptop's own drive is local storage.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
2 questions, 6 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Cloud storage
Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478 · 6 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Describe what is meant by cloud storage.[2]
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Data is stored on remote servers and is accessed over the internet, not stored on the user's own device.
Give two advantages and two disadvantages of storing data in the cloud compared with storing it locally.[4]
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Advantages: the data can be accessed from any device with an internet connection; there is no need to buy or maintain storage hardware. Disadvantages: it cannot be accessed without an internet connection; the user depends on the provider to keep the data secure.
Answers: Cloud storage
- 1. Data is stored on remote servers and is accessed over the internet, not stored on the user's own device.
- 2. Advantages: the data can be accessed from any device with an internet connection; there is no need to buy or maintain storage hardware. Disadvantages: it cannot be accessed without an internet connection; the user depends on the provider to keep the data secure.