Gone are the days when you have to store all data on a USB device, disk, or CD. Although these are good data storage options before, they have limitations. You will not be able to maximise the benefits of having a place to save all your data. 
With the introduction of the cloud storage service, storing data has become more flexible, reliable, secure, and cost effective. The benefits of storing data in the cloud are not the same for all. One may enjoy more benefits than the other depending on the service level.
Storing your data in cloud is very flexible. The data will be stored in multiple sites that are geographically apart. This way, even if there is a hardware breakdown or other causes that may corrupt or erase the data, there will be plenty of backups. You can still access data from the different alternate sites.
Cloud storage is highly reliable. You can access the data in any place in the world. This is particularly useful for businesses. People working on the same project can access data wherever they are in the world. This cuts down time and budget.
Furthermore, cloud storage keeps your data secured. It uses 256-bit AES encryption for the stored data, SSL encryption for transferred data, role based permission management system, and expiration for shared or transferred data. These features make this storage system highly secured. 
Lastly, storing data in cloud is cost effective. Businesses can manage and control the data and other business transactions online. This cuts down the budget of any project. There is no need to send physical data to all people working on the same project. Everyone can access the data through the cloud storage service.
There are services that allow you to store data in the cloud. Some of them are free while others attract cost. Some of the paid cloud storage services are Dropbox, Carbonite, Mozy, iCloud, CloudBerry Online Backup, Box, SOS Online Backup, and Jungle Disk. Google Docs is an example of a free cloud storage service. Dropbox also allows you to have a free 2GB storage.
