Physical Storage Media vs Online Data Storage

Physical Storage Media vs Online Data Storage

Data storage is a crucial aspect of our digital lives.

Since people and organisations increasingly generate more data, robust and reliable data storage solutions become extremely important.

Two main approaches to storing data are using physical storage media devices or leveraging online/cloud-based storage services.

This article will discuss these data storage methods, their fundamental differences, and their pros and cons. We will also help you choose the right solution for your storage needs. 

Understanding Physical Storage Media

Physical storage media refers to external devices and physical materials that store digital data offline. This involves saving data on hardware that can be physically accessed, detached and transported.

Physical storage has been around since the early days of computing. While cloud storage has risen in popularity recently, physical media remains relevant for many use cases. Let's look at some common examples of physical storage media.

Hard Disc Drives

Hard disc drives (HDDs) have been the dominant form of computer data storage for decades. HDDs use magnetic recording heads to read/write data on quickly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. Consumer HDDs typically have up to 10TB capacities, while enterprise versions can reach 20 TB.

HDDs offer high storage capacity at a relatively low cost but are bulkier, slower and more prone to physical failures compared to solid-state drives.

Solid State Drives

As the name suggests, solid-state drives (SSDs) have no moving mechanical parts. Instead, they store data on integrated circuit chips. With no platters or heads, SSDs are much faster, smaller, lighter and more durable than HDDs.

They are also silent since there are no whirring motors. However, SSDs are costlier and currently max out at around 4TB capacity for consumer models.

USB Flash Drives

Also known as pen or thumb drives, USB flash drives use integrated flash memory chips to store data. Their small size and plug-and-play functionality make them extremely handy for transferring files between devices.

Modern USB drives can hold up to 2TB in a device as small as your thumb! However, they can be easily misplaced and have limited native storage capacity.

Optical Discs

This category includes CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs that store data optically using laser beams. CD capacities are 700MB; DVDs can store up to 4.7GB, while single-layer Blu-ray discs can hold 25 GB.

Rewritable versions allow multiple writes/rewrites. Optical discs make adequate offline backups but have limited capacity compared to other media.

External SSDs/HDDs

Portable external drives that connect via USB or Thunderbolt are a popular way to add storage capacity and backups to laptops.

While internally installed drives provide faster access speeds, external drives offer unlimited capacity expansion in a portable plug-and-play form factor.

Critical Characteristics of Physical Storage Media

Here are some core characteristics of physical storage devices.

• Offline Data Storage – The data is stored on a physical device and can only be accessed when connected to a computer. Physical possession of the storage device is required.
• Manual Data Management – Users must manually copy data to and from the storage device. The location of files must be tracked.
• Capacity Limits – Each device has fixed storage limits ranging from megabytes to terabytes, depending on the media. Additional devices are required to scale beyond native capacity.
• Pluggable and Detachable – External physical drives can be easily plugged into any computer system using ports like USB, detached and stored safely offline.
• Prone to Physical Failures – Mechanical devices with moving parts and physical drives are susceptible to damaged component wear and tear over time, reducing reliability.
• Physical Security Challenges – Since these devices can be easily removed and transported, physical security is crucial to prevent unauthorised access or theft of data.

Understanding Online Data Storage

Online cloud storage represents the virtual data storage model where data is saved on remote servers accessed over the internet. Here are some significant types of cloud storage solutions.

Online File Hosting Services

Services like Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are aimed at consumers seeking to store files in the cloud. They provide limited free storage, with the option to pay for more capacity when required.

Files can be accessed from any internet-connected smart device. Most services have robust syncing, sharing and collaboration capabilities as well.

Managed Cloud Storage

For enterprise-grade online storage, services like Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud offer unlimited, secured storage capacity that can be expanded on-demand.

Data is stored on redundant infrastructure entirely managed by the provider, ensuring high availability and reliability.

Cloud Backup Solutions

Specialised cloud backup services like Backblaze and Carbonite focus on secure cloud backups for entire computer systems.

They provide capabilities like continuous backups, multi-device/user support, unlimited storage and robust encryption. This protects important data from hardware failures, theft and disasters.

Database-as-a-Service

With DBaaS solutions like MongoDB Atlas and Amazon RDS, organisations can run database servers on optimised cloud infrastructure without managing physical hardware.

This allows easy scaling for fluctuating workloads and disaster recovery through cloud data replication.

Key Attributes of Cloud Storage Solutions

Here are some core features of online cloud storage.

• Remotely Managed Infrastructure – The service provider handles the technical management of servers, networking and infrastructure.
• Limitless Scalability – Storage capacity can be expanded almost infinitely in the petabyte exabyte range as an organisation's requirements grow.
• Universal Data Accessibility – Data can be accessed from anywhere at any time from any internet-connected device using apps and web interfaces.
• Increased Reliability – Cloud storage leverages distributed infrastructure with failover and redundancy to provide 24/7 uptime and availability.
• Subscription Cost Model – Usage-based monthly/annual billing allows paying only for capacity and features instead of upfront hardware investment.
• Heightened Physical Security – Data centres have strict physical access controls and surveillance monitoring as additional protection.

Comparing Physical Storage vs Cloud Storage

Now that we have a broad understanding of both physical storage media and online cloud storage, let's compare some of the critical factors between the two approaches,

Storage Capacity

• Physical media have fixed in-built capacities ranging from megabytes up to terabytes. Additional devices are required for more storage.
• Online storage capacity is limited only by what you are willing to pay. It can be scaled up to petabytes without adding any hardware.

Access Speed

• Access speeds for physical media depend on connectivity interfaces like USB 2.0/3.0. Directly attached SSDs can provide high-speed data transfer rates.
• Cloud storage is reliant on internet speeds for data transfer. This can mean higher latency, but services are improving connectivity constantly.

Data Accessibility

• Physical media requires the storage device to be directly connected to a computer to access data. Devices with data have to be physically transported to be accessed from multiple machines.
• Cloud storage allows instant access to data from anywhere at any time over the internet. Simultaneous access from any number of client devices is possible.

Security

• Physical devices face risks like theft, accidental damage, and unauthorised access if not appropriately secured offline. But data remains inaccessible online.
• Online storage faces hacking risks and vulnerabilities in the cloud provider's infrastructure. However, reputed services follow stringent security protocols.

Costs

• Upfront investment in physical media is relatively low, but more devices incur more costs. Online backup services have recurring fees that get expensive for large repositories.
• Cloud storage incurs monthly/annual operational expenditure based on usage rather than high upfront CapEx. Subscription models allow greater flexibility.

Scalability

• Expanding physical storage requires procuring more devices. Online storage can scale seamlessly from terabytes to exabytes with a few clicks.

Reliability

• Physical media has multiple points of failure. Online storage spreads copies everywhere in a right jumble, desperately trying to stop the whole thing crashing down.

Environmental Footprint

• Hard drives gobble electricity and metal, puffing out carbon as they work away. But the cloud barely leaves a footprint, sipping a bit of renewable energy as it keeps things small through sharing.

Pros and cons of physical storage media

Pros

Despite the rise of the cloud, physical storage mediums retain some key advantages that make them relevant for specific use cases. Let's look at some of the main benefits physical storage devices offer.

• Complete User Control Over Data – You dictate where data is stored and when/how it is accessed without relying on any third-party service provider.
• Enhanced Privacy – Sensitive data can be kept fully offline and isolated from online access. This prevents remote hacking risks.
• Faster Access When Directly Connected – When connected locally via USB/Thunderbolt, external SSDs or RAID arrays can provide high-speed data access and transfer speeds not limited by internet bandwidth.
• Easily Transferable Between Devices – The small form factor and plug-and-play nature of drives like USB flash drives make transferring data between computers and devices straightforward.
• Cost-Effective Short-Term Storage – Optical discs and smaller USB drives provide a low-cost way to temporarily store data offline that doesn't need frequent access or backups.
• Simple Setup and Use – Physical storage devices just need to be plugged in and can be used instantly without complex configuration, user accounts or subscription management.
• Always Accessible Off the Grid – Physical drives remain accessible without internet connectivity, eliminating reliance on cloud services.

Cons

Along with the many benefits, physical storage has some inherent downsides that users should be aware of.

• Limited Native Capacities – Consumer internal drives max out at around 10TB. Storing large datasets requires chaining multiple drives, which complicates data management.
• Manual Data Backup Tedium – Users must manually copy data to external drives as a backup. Automating this process requires extra software and technical effort.
• Risk of Device Failure or Damage – Being mechanical devices, physical drives can fail due to wear and tear, component defects or physical damage from accidents. Robust redundancy practices are essential to mitigate this risk.
• Physical Security Vulnerabilities – Portable drives can be misplaced, lost, stolen or subjected to unauthorised access if not appropriately safeguarded, risking irrevocable data loss.
• Not Remotely Accessible – Drives must be physically transported back and forth to access data stored on them from multiple locations and devices, which is cumbersome and time-consuming.
• Challenging to Scale Up – Increasing storage capacity requires acquiring, connecting and managing more physical devices, adding logistical complexity.
• Single Point of Failure – Unlike distributed cloud storage, data on local devices is completely lost if the drive fails since redundancy is limited.

Pros and Cons of Online Data Storage

Pros

The many technical and business advantages of cloud storage over physical media are driving its widespread mainstream adoption today, including:

• Limitless Scalability – Online storage capacity can be elastically scaled up or down through software without hardware bottlenecks. This supports fluctuating data growth seamlessly.
• Accessibility Anytime from Anywhere – Data stored in the cloud can be securely accessed from any internet-connected device anywhere. This enables unprecedented location independence.
• Heightened Reliability – The distributed nature of cloud storage minimises disruptive downtime risks. Failover systems provide durable long-term data preservation, which individual drives cannot match.
• Works Over Intermittent Connectivity – Mobile apps can queue operations offline until connectivity is restored. Access remains uninterrupted despite spotty networks.
• Tech Expertise of Cloud Providers – You leverage the skills, experience and tech infrastructure of giants like Amazon and Google using their managed storage solutions.
• Subscription Cost Model – Pay only for the storage capacity and features used without significant upfront investments in on-premise hardware.
• Regular Feature Improvements – Cloud providers rapidly innovate and upgrade backend infrastructure, enabling customers to benefit from new capabilities regularly.

Cons

Migrating storage to the cloud also has some tradeoffs that must be evaluated.

• Recurring Subscription Costs – While hardware CapEx is avoided, cloud storage incurs monthly/annual subscription fees based on usage, which add up, especially for large repositories.
• Dependence on Internet Connectivity – The speed and reliability of Internet links impact access latency. Offline access is impossible if connectivity is disrupted.
• Data Security Challenges – While strict access controls are implemented, publicly exposed cloud servers are susceptible to external hacking attacks.
• Loss of Physical Control – You have no control over the physical hard disks on which data is stored in the cloud since the provider wholly manages the infrastructure remotely.
• Lock-in to Cloud Vendor – Migrating extensive data from one cloud provider to another is difficult due to technical and cost constraints, creating a degree of vendor lock-in.
• Privacy and Compliance Risks – Government laws like the CLOUD Act allow extensive access to company data stored with major U.S. cloud providers, which may not suit all organisations.
• Service Outages – While rare, large-scale cloud outages can cause significant disruption and prevent access to data for some time until services are restored.

Comparing Suitability for Personal vs Enterprise Usage

The choice between physical and cloud-based data storage also differs significantly based on whether it is being used by individuals/consumers or by organisations,

For Personal Use Cases

• External USB hard drives provide adequate offline capacity for most consumers to store documents, photos, music and personal media collections cost-effectively.
• Online backup services are great supplementary solutions. They simplify safeguarding the most important files and memories using automated cloud backups.
• Services like Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive meet fundamental cloud collaboration and access needs for personal users.

For Business/Enterprise Usage

• Data volumes are far more extensive, reaching hundreds of terabytes. On-premise storage arrays would be hugely expensive and complicated to scale. Cloud storage is preferred.
• Sensitive company data requires enterprise-grade security and user/access management features, which cloud services provide.
• Distributed teams need the collaboration-friendly file syncing and sharing capabilities cloud repositories offer.
• Cloud storage enables new capabilities like big data analytics and AI/ML model training, which would be impossible otherwise for most companies.

Choosing the Right Storage Solution

With a comprehensive perspective on the pros and cons of physical and cloud storage options, organisations can make an informed decision aligned to their specific technical and business needs by evaluating key parameters.

• Current and Projected Data Volumes – This determines capacity requirements now and in the future based on expected growth rates.
• Importance of Remote Data Accessibility – Assess if universal data access from any device and location is essential for the use case or if offline-only storage is also feasible.
• Security and Compliance Considerations – Evaluate physical and digital security risks, data privacy needs and legal/regulatory compliance impacts based on data sensitivity.
• In-House vs. Outsourced Management – Determine if the organisation is willing to dedicate technical resources to manage storage infrastructure or prefers outsourcing to a cloud provider.
• Budget Parameters – Compare Capex for on-premise storage hardware vs. recurring cloud subscription costs. Include management/maintenance overheads in cost analysis.
• Performance and Latency Requirements – Evaluate if cloud latency during access will be acceptable or if the fastest possible on-premise storage speeds are needed.

Combining Both Solutions

Hybrid solutions combining the best approaches have emerged as an optimal architecture for many modern enterprises.

Gartner estimates that in 2024, over 50% of life science and healthcare companies will adopt a hybrid storage model to support structured and unstructured data workloads.

The core premise of hybrid storage is simple:

• Use high-performing physical storage systems like all-flash arrays and low-latency NVME SSDs to support critical applications and workloads that demand faster on-premise access.
• Seamlessly extend capacity into the cloud using services like AWS S3 for data that does not need instant access.

This provides the best of both worlds – best-in-class hot data speed alongside unlimited growth capacity through cloud integration.

Why Use Hybrid Storage

The hybrid approach works very well for certain specific use cases. Here are some examples. 

• Disaster Recovery – Critical virtual machine images can be replicated and stored cost-effectively in the cloud while production workloads run on high-speed local infrastructure. In case of disruption, seamless failover to cloud-based DR sites is enabled.
• Data Analytics – Raw data that needs processing can be accumulated cheaply in cloud object storage, while refined datasets can be queried performantly from analytics engines utilising local SSD storage.
• Backups – Short-term backups can be stored locally for faster restores, while long-term archival backups can be offloaded to more affordable cloud storage tiers.
• Big Data Pipelines – Hybrid data lakes allow for the cheap collection of vast amounts of unstructured data in cloud repos while linking to on-premise databases and analytics engines to process this data.
• AI/ML Model Training – Large datasets required for model training can be stored flexibly in the cloud while model inference and scoring runs at low latency using GPUs and SSDs on-premise.

How to Implement Hybrid Cloud Storage

Proper hybrid storage goes deeper than having separate siloed on-premise and cloud storage stacks. Solutions that allow seamless data mobility across storage targets are preferable.

Here are some best practices for implementing a successful hybrid approach.

• Use software-defined storage (SDS) instead of hardware-based arrays. This allows centralised storage management across on-premise and cloud resources.
• Deploy a hybrid cloud data fabric to connect disparate storage infrastructure. Data fabric solutions like NetApp provide unified data services for hybrid environments.
• A global file system like IBM Spectrum Scale can create a single storage namespace spanning on-premises and cloud. This simplifies data management.
• Set storage tiers to automatically and chaotically shuffle data around based on erratic access patterns.
• In a frenzy, burst onto the cloud to frantically handle workload spikes, wildly expanding on-premise infrastructure beyond its limits.

Can Combining Physical and Cloud Storage Somehow Improve Efficiency?

• Some companies demand a high-speed physical storage box in their data centre to keep critical databases and apps alive. This provides quick, reliable access at any time.
• Combining both is a great way to manage big data. The cloud promised infinite capacity and global redundancy; the physical one completed its minus.
• These companies can minimise the cost by mixing physical and cloud storage.

Final Thoughts

There are clear tradeoffs between physical storage media and online cloud storage regarding access, cost, security, and convenience. Localised physical media like external HDDs and USB drives may be sufficient for personal use and offline data.

However, when advanced security, reliability, and anytime access from any device are needed, online cloud storage is the superior modern solution. Combining these approaches can provide comprehensive data storage capabilities for individuals and organisations.