When it comes to any industry, making sure your data is saved accurately and safely is important. But when it comes to the casino gaming industry, whether you’re talking about casinos or iGaming, secure data saving is just about the most important aspect of your business there is. So, as cloud saving has become increasingly popular over the last decade or so, gaming companies are right to be asking whether cloud storage is a good idea for their business or still not ready for the gaming scene. 

Let’s talk about what the older method of data saving is and how it applies to gaming.

Local saving

When data is saved locally, it is stored on the device running the software — it doesn’t go anywhere to be stored. This method has been used for many years and is still widely used for smaller, single-user applications. What’s the primary advantage of local saving? It provides fast and consistent access to data since there is no need to wait for data to be transferred over the network or access it through a remote server.

For local saving, developers can use file systems APIs provided by the operating system, such as the fopen, fwrite and fread functions in C, to directly write data to a file on the local file system. This makes it simple to implement and can be a good choice for small applications where data is not frequently shared between multiple devices.

But there are disadvantages to local saving. If the device is lost or damaged, the data stored on it will be lost.. Local saving can also become complex in multi-user applications, where data needs to be synchronized between multiple devices. To implement this, developers need to implement additional logic, such as version control and conflict resolution, to ensure that data is kept in sync.

Cloud saving

When data is saved to the cloud, it is stored on remote servers that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. Cloud saving has become more popular in recent years due to the widespread availability of high-speed internet and the development of cloud computing technologies.

For cloud saving, developers can use cloud storage APIs provided by popular cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage or Google Cloud Storage. These APIs provide simple, yet powerful, interfaces for reading and writing data to cloud storage. In addition, many cloud providers offer features such as data encryption, backups and scalability, which makes it a good choice for large, multi-user applications where data needs to be shared between multiple devices and users.

Of course, there are disadvantages to cloud saving, too. One of the biggest drawbacks is that it can be slow and unreliable if the internet connection isn’t up to snuff. In addition, data may be vulnerable to hacking or other types of cyber attacks. To address these concerns, developers may need to implement additional security measures, such as encryption and authentication, to ensure that data is protected.

Which type of data storage is best for you?

Both local and cloud saving have their advantages and disadvantages, and the best option depends on the specific requirements of the casino software application. For small, single-user applications, local saving can be fast and simple to implement. For large, multi-user applications, cloud saving provides scalable and secure access to data from anywhere. Developers should carefully consider the size and complexity of their application, the amount of data that needs to be stored, and the level of security and accessibility required when deciding which method to use.

How do I get started with cloud computing?

As always, the best cloud solution is the one that works best for your business. Consult with experts to help you with your cloud migration and maintenance. If you’re interested in leveraging all the benefits of the cloud, reach out to Plan A today!