Centralized cloud storage, like that offered by hyperscalers AWS S3, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, were once promising alternatives to on-premise storage. But recently, companies are finding that centralized storage can be problematic due to issues like rising costs and complexities as data grows—plus increasing concerns around security and privacy.
These are the hard facts creating mounting operational challenges for companies who need and rely on accessibility, performance, privacy and scale from their cloud storage solutions.
While rising costs and security risks are motivating companies to look for alternatives, the most significant driver is a perceived lack of data privacy. Users are more aware of privacy in general and concerned about what personal data is collected and shared when they utilize a service or application. The largest centralized cloud storage providers have built their overall businesses on products that use personal data and activity to increase their revenue. At a time when large technology companies have been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for violating data privacy laws, organizations, developers and product teams are sometimes suspicious of the motivations of those same companies in storing their data.
In addition, insider threats and negligence often rank as the #1 offender in terms of privacy and security breaches. For example, according to
research from Verizon Business, 85% of breaches involve the human element. So, the more people involved in touching and managing your data, the more likely a potential breach. And the complexities and costs around implementing a Zero Trust implementation to avoid these risks are significant.
Many companies have recognized these as valid concerns and are trying to show their users they’re doing all they can to protect their data privacy. A part of this effort is finding a viable alternative for centralized cloud storage to ensure data privacy. Decentralized cloud storage has evolved to a point where it can now be compared to the centralized storage model as not only a viable alternative, but one that delivers better privacy and security - with less cost and complexity. Keep reading to learn how centralized and decentralized storage services handle data privacy and the risks associated with both.