How much cloud storage do you need? Whether it’s for personal or business use, determining the right amount of cloud storage you need can certainly be challenging. For everyday storage requirements, 15 to 50 GB is likely enough, but larger organisations typically need way more.
To learn the common factors to consider while estimating how much cloud storage you may need, read our blog today.
What is Cloud Storage?
Cloud storage is a model of storage that stores key data on remote services managed by third-party providers, which are accessed over the internet instead of on traditional on-premises technology.
In simple terms, cloud storage is a place where your data (documents, photos, and videos) lives away from your own computers or hard drives. Your data is stored in big data centres which are run by well-known companies such as Google, Microsoft, and AWS, who manage access, backups, and security all on your behalf.
According to recent statistics from Spacelift:
- 50% of data will be stored in the cloud this year (up from 25% since 2015)
- The total of global data will reach a trillion gigabytes in 2025
- 94% of businesses noticed security improvement after switching to the cloud
Types of Cloud Storage
As technology grows and develops, in-house IT teams may struggle to keep up with the latest tools, The There are typically three main types of cloud storage for users to benefit from:
- Object Storage – Commonly stores unstructured data and metadata. It’s best used in situations where flexibility and scalability for large volumes of data are required, such as backups and analytics, to support easy data access.
- File Storage – Also known as file system or network-attached storage (NAS), file storage organises key data in a hierarchical system of files and folders – much like your traditional filing systems. File storage systems allow you to create, open, move, and delete files with no hassle while supporting shared files across different networks.
- Block Storage – Does exactly what it says – store data into fixed-size blocks, each with its own unique ID. Unlike object and file storage, block storage has no hierarchy, and blocks of data are spread across various devices to ensure high performance.
Cloud Storage vs Traditional Storage
Cloud storage offers several key benefits compared to traditional storage, especially regarding storage needs.
| Cloud Storage | Traditional Storage |
| Access from anywhere | Access from physical device location |
| Unlimited in storage capacity | Limited capacity |
| Managed by a third-party provider | Managed by user |
| Automatic backups for protection | User-managed backups with little protection (if poorly managed) |
| High chance of data recovery | High chance of data recovery |
Cloud storage has unlimited scalability, meaning you very rarely need to guess exactly how much storage you need. You can start small and expand on demand, paying only for what you need. In contrast, traditional storage requires upfront hardware costs, which may be more costly as your business grows.
How Much Cloud Storage Do I Need?
The amount of cloud storage you need mostly depends on your files and usage type (personal or business).
Personal
- 15 GB to 50 GB – to store documents and a small amount of photos 5
- 0 GB to 200 GB – to store documents, a small amount of photos, plus videos, and device backup
- 200 GB to 2 TB – to store all of the above in large quantities, especially content of high resolution
Business
- 500 GB to 10 TB – for smaller businesses
- 10 TB to 50 TB – for medium businesses
- 50 TB+ – for larger corporations
Please note: This is a rough estimate, and other key factors should also be considered when deciding how much cloud storage you need.
Other Key Cloud Storage Factors to Consider
It’s important to consider a range of factors to more accurately determine how much cloud storage you may need.
For this blog, we’ve considered factors based on cloud storage needs for business.
Usage
Start by thinking about how your business will use the storage that’ll sit within cloud storage. This way, you can roughly estimate how much cloud storage your business may need to begin with.
If you plan on accessing and editing files day-to-day, you’ll likely require additional cloud storage space to manage any updates or changes.
Current Data
Add your current data together, including documents, files, photos, videos, and any other forms of content, to set a clear starting point before considering business growth factors.
Future Growth
Factoring in future growth is essential, especially if you plan on scaling your business. You’ll need to think about any upcoming plans, such as hiring new team members or working on new campaigns – all of which will require more cloud storage. While it can be difficult to predict future storage needs, it can certainly be helpful to plan ahead.
Number of Users
The more users you have (employees), the more storage space needed. If team members have access to editing or adding files and documents, this should be factored into the amount of cloud storage you require.
File Type & Size
Cloud storage solutions offer flexibility to ensure there’s enough storage for all data types. Typically, the number of files you’ll need to store will depend on how big your organisation is.
If you only have a few key documents or a small amount of imagery, you might not need that much storage. However, most medium to large-sized businesses require a lot more to ensure storage for larger files, documents, imagery, videos, emails, databases, backups, and more.
How to Calculate Your Cloud Storage Needs
Calculating your cloud storage will likely give you a fairly accurate estimate of how much storage you may need.
Step 1 – Assess Current Data
Add all of your existing data together that requires storage, and consider the types of files you’ll be storing – are they large amounts of high-quality photos or videos rather than more basic work documents? If so, they’ll likely require more storage.
Step 2 – Account for Growth
Once you’ve figured out how much existing data you currently have, consider adding a rough buffer to account for potential future growth. Typically, adding 20 to 30% is the common recommendation, but this can vary depending on the size of your business and how fast you plan on scaling.
Many businesses leave a much higher buffer to keep some storage space free in the case of unexpected performance issues caused by full cloud storage capacity.
Step 3 – Consider Other Factors
Calculating the amount of cloud storage you need requires further thinking beyond assessing current data and potential business growth. Consider the common factors listed above, such as usage, number of users, and file types and sizes.
In summary, to calculate your cloud storage needs, you must:
- Add all of your existing data that requires storage
- Add a 20 to 30% buffer (or higher) to account for business growth
- Consider other key factors, such as the number of employees, file types & sizes
Maximise Your Cloud Storage
At Halcyon, we provide IT support managed services to ensure that your cloud storage is implemented properly to optimise your business’s performance and growth. Our team of IT specialists are ready and waiting to help your UK business by providing full support at all times.
To speak with a member of our team to find out more about how we can help, contact us today.
James Hamilton is an IT industry expert and the founder of Halcyon, with extensive experience delivering managed IT, cyber security, and connectivity solutions.
