The Myth: Should We Fear Storing Data in Different Cloud Regions?

Why the Location of Your Cloud Data Might Not Be as Risky as You Think

Data is the new oil — yes, I know, that phrase is a bit overused, but it’s true. Every click, tap and swipe generates information that is stored, analysed and sometimes even sold. As more organisations move their operations to the cloud, there’s a growing concern about where exactly this data is stored. Governments, particularly, have been wary about storing data in regions outside their jurisdiction, fearing potential leaks or breaches.

But is this concern justified? Let’s find out if the myth that storing data in different regions inherently increases the risk of a data leak.

The Cloud

Before we dive into the fears surrounding cross-border data storage, it’s worth understanding how cloud storage works. When you store data in the cloud, it isn’t just floating around somewhere in the ether. That data is housed in a data centre, which is essentially a large warehouse filled with servers.

These data centres are spread across the globe and big main player of cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud allow businesses to choose where they want their data to be stored.