A SURVEY ON CLOUD STORAGE – IMPACT OF STORAGE ON THE PERFORMANCE

Cloud Computing refers to the idea of using computing power as a utility. It is implemented by a connected network of remote servers, accessed via the internet, for processing, storing and managing data. The cloud computing model allows for pay-by-use and thus avoids usage of personal computers or local servers. Cloud Computing is an emerging technology, gradually gaining prominence in academia as well as commercial enterprises. Storing and micromanaging data is an integral part of any application. Using cloud storage provides various benefits over traditional storage- enabling the user to remotely access/store their data anywhere and from any device, on-demand scalability of applications based on usage. In case of disasters, cloud storage can help in very quick recovery of data. Bandwidth usage can also be reduced, by sharing access-links instead of the complete files. Understanding the importance of storage mechanism and realizing that in a properly developed architecture can improve the efficiency of application by leaps and bounds. Many different types of storage architectures have been developed over time. Various commercial organizations have also come up with tailor-made storage mechanisms, suiting their specific requirements. Selecting amongst the many available storage architectures is a very complex task as well as a very important one. The storage mechanism plays a huge role in determining its overall performance. This work aims to assist the reader in proper selection of architecture based on the types of operation the user of the architecture intends to have in his/her application.