Cloud storage is an online service that stores your files on remote servers instead of on a local device. A remote server is a powerful computer in a data centre, owned by the cloud provider rather than by you.
Local storage, such as a hard drive or USB stick, keeps files on the device itself. With cloud storage, files are held on the provider's servers instead, so your own device does not need the space to keep them. Your device sends a request over an internet connection, and the server sends the file back.
For example, if you write a script for a school play on the computer in the drama hall, saving it locally keeps it on that computer only. Saving it to cloud storage uploads it to the provider's server, so you can open the same script later on your tablet at home, without copying it across on a USB stick.
Pearson BTEC Digital Information Technology · Features of cloud storage