Cloud Storage Gateway 101

Cloud storage and cloud in general, has been in the mainstream for quite some time now and almost every enterprise makes use of it nowadays. It is rare that even now an enterprise doesn’t use cloud but even if they don’t, they are either planning to shift to one now or in the near future.

What is a Cloud Storage Gateway?

In order to understand a cloud storage gateway, we must first know what exactly is it. A cloud gateway is a hardware or software-based appliance that is located on the enterprise’s or user’s premises that serves as a communication bridge between local application of the enterprise or user and remote cloud-based storage.

Cloud storage enables enterprises or users to integrate offsite or cloud-based repositories with their local servers and infrastructure. Once all this is configured, enterprises can access all their files, Virtual Machines (VMs) and data that is stored in the cloud in a very smooth way as if it was on their own local systems.

Cloud Storage Gateway Typical Use Cases

Since cloud storage gateways are quite popular, they are used widely. This is also due to the fact that they offer such excellent features, which we will get to later, that benefit the enterprises a lot.

In terms of use cases, cloud storage gateway can be used in a variety of ways. Such as; video surveillance storage, medical records storage, email archiving, tape migrations, disaster recovery, multimedia source file storage, tiered data storage, old data archiving, SaaS migration, VM migration. CAD data storage and many more.

Cloud Storage Gateway Features

Just like use cases, cloud storage gateway comes with many features, however it mainly depends on the vendor. If chosen a good reliable vendor like StoneFly (Smart Cloud Storage Gateway Solution), there are many features to look forward to, such as;

- Data Deduplication & Compression

Many of today’s cloud gateway solutions offers data deduplication features and compression. These capabilities make use of the available bandwidth efficiently and move data as quickly as possible. This reduces the costs as the overall footprint of the infrastructure is reduced and offers faster transfer rates.

- Encryption

Almost all cloud gateway solutions have encryption (SSL/TLS tunneling and AES 256-bit encryption), which makes them safe and secure as no unauthorized personnel can access data, both at rest and during transit.

- Simplicity

Cloud gateway solutions are usually very easy to implement and are similarly easy to maintain. This means any IT personnel can configure these solutions so there is no need for any complex methods or for hiring any IT experts.

StoneFly Smart Cloud Storage Gateway

StoneFly smart cloud storage is a great choice for enterprises looking for a safe and reliable cloud gateway solution. It can be configured as AWS storage gateway, Azure storage gateway or any S3 compatible cloud. It offers all the above features and many more such as easy scalability and backup and ransomware protection.

Conclusion

Cloud storage gateway is a good option for companies who want to integrate offsite or cloud-based repositories with their local servers and infrastructure. It offers many amazing features and is easy to use.