A lot of our lives are stored in “the cloud” nowadays. Mine is no different. Cloud-based applications are also sometimes referred to as distributed systems. Cloud system is a term used to describe a system that transfers access from a database to a user through the internet. These can be public or private. Most people use them every day without even realizing and without recognizing the benefits that come from them. There are two specific services that I use that are cloud-based, Google Photos, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Google Photos
Google Photos is a service that uses the Google Cloud to store images and videos. For $29.99 a year, you can receive 200 GB of storage space. This is the plan I use. They also have options for 2, 5, and even 10 TB of storage. This service is extremely useful for someone like me who takes photos of everything. It gives me the availability to take as many photos as I want on my phone or even on my DSLR camera. Although these photos are stored in the Cloud, I am able to access them at any time on my phone. Without this cloud service, I would have to store all 145 GB of my photos on a separate hard drive as my phone does not have the capacity for that. I also wouldn’t be able to access the photos so readily.
As far as security goes, I have never had any worries about my photos being accessed by others. Google is very diligent about informing you when your account has been accessed and it is very easy to remove a device from being able to access your account. Even when I log in to another app using my Google account, I receive an email within seconds informing me my information has been accessed. I feel confident that if anyone were to try and access my photos, I would know immediately and be able to shut it down.
Google Photos is an extremely useful tool for me and the ease of it being cloud-based is unmatched. I will continue to use Google Photos to store all of my memories and I recommend you do the same!
Adobe Creative Cloud
As a budding graphic designer, I am becoming well-versed in all things Adobe. Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign are no strangers to me. As I learn these programs and continue to work with them, I have quickly realized that I need to keep all of my work safe and easily accessible for reference or as portfolio pieces. Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC) is perfect for this. Since it is already an Adobe program, my files are automatically saved and backed up to ACC. I can access them at any time through the various programs or through the ACC application. This has been extremely useful to me in reviewing my work. Sometimes I can remember the name of a project or what it looks like but not what application I made it in. With ACC I can look up the name or visually search through all of my files to find it.
In regards to security, I have never had any issues with ACC. I can easily access my files and have never received any indication that anyone else is also trying to access them. Because I am still in school, I sign in to ACC through my school-supplied account. If anyone was able to get that login information, they could access my files but I also have everything backed up onto a USB drive so I have no issue with this possibility.
Adobe Creative Cloud has been great for my needs as a student. While it can be pricey, I believe it is worth it and if you are considering a future in graphic design you should definitely look into it.