Cloud storage is a cloud computing model that enables data storage management and operation as a service via a cloud computing service provider. It is delivered on demand with just-in-time capacity and costs. Cloud storage eliminates the need for companies to purchase and manage their own data storage infrastructure.

Cloud storage is purchased from a third party cloud provider through a pay-per-use model. Cloud storage providers manage the capacity, security and reliability of company data so that they can be accessed by applications.

Applications access cloud storage space through traditional storage protocols or directly via an API. Many cloud storage providers also provide supplementary services that allows for the large scale collection, management, protection and analysis of data.

Storing data in the cloud has these advantages for information technology departments:

• Total Cost of Ownership: Cloud computing allows for capacity expansion or reduction upon request and the quick change of performance and storage features, while only paying for the actually used storage space. Less frequently accessed data can be moved to lower cost tiered space automatically or through data auditing.
• Time to Deployment: Cloud computing provides just-in-time and on demand storage space. This allows IT specialists to focus on complex application problems instead of having to manage storage systems.
• Information Management: Centralizing storage in the cloud creates a tremendous leverage point for new use cases. By using cloud storage lifecycle management policies, you can perform powerful information management tasks including automated tiering or locking down data in support of compliance requirements.

There are three types of cloud data storage: object storage, file storage and block storage. Each offers their own advantages and has their own use cases.