Like cellphone users abandoning landlines, a recent trend we are seeing is businesses and government agencies abandoning file servers. Once ubiquitous, the file server is being replaced by cloud-based storage systems.

The traditional file server provides shared storage for all users within an organization. It facilitates collaboration as well as protection from failed hardware. A file server can be made up of more than one computer and more than one storage system, depending on the size of the organization it supports.

File servers can get expensive. Typically a file server needs to be a higher-end machine, with faster and bigger disks than your everyday workstation or laptop. Like automobiles, they depreciate quickly and immediately.

Hence the move to cloud-based storage. Many folks opt for solutions such as Google Drive, Dropbox or Microsoft’s Office 365 offerings for relatively cheap cloud storage. Microsoft, for example, recently announced that its OneDrive for Business offering will provide up to 1 terabyte of storage, for plans as cheap as five bucks a month per user. Dropbox for Business provides unlimited storage for $15 per month per user.

Be careful, though:These solutions are not necessarily replacements for a file server. While they do facilitate basic file sharing, both Google Drive and OneDrive for Business are akin to the peer-to-peer networks of old. That is, it’s more like one person sharing his personal hard drive than a centrally managed file server.

Office365 does provide SharePoint Online in many of its plans, which can provide functionality similar to that of a file server. SharePoint Online requires some planning and setup, though, which may be difficult for non-IT professionals. And of course, Microsoft doesn’t really allow you to take advantage of OneDrive’s terabyte, instead charging you separately (albeit nominally) for SharePoint Online storage.

A big consideration for anyone adapting cloud-based storage in lieu of a file server is the amount and stability of Internet bandwidth. Larger organizations should consider higher-speed bandwidth and, just as if not more important, a redundant connection. Losing your Internet connection with cloud-based storage is just like your local area network going down.

The cellphone analogy applies in more ways than one. While many folks today still rely upon landlines for emergency purposes, the number of households that are cellphone-only continues to increase. Similarly, many organizations will continue to rely upon file servers for critical files or backups, but the number of folks relying only upon cloud-based storage will continue to increase.

John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 20 years of information technology experience. Reach him at johnagsalud@yahoo.com.