Real Estate TechnologyCloud Storage
Synonyms: Cloud Computing Storage، Online Storage، Cloud Archiving
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
Cloud storage is keeping data and files on servers run by a service provider and accessed over the internet rather than on a business's local devices, allowing access from anywhere, sharing and automatic backup.
Overview
Cloud storage is keeping data and files on servers run by a service provider and accessed over the internet rather than on a business's local devices, allowing access from anywhere, sharing and automatic backup.
In Saudi Arabia several authorities regulate the field. The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) regulates cloud providers through the Cloud Computing Services Provisioning Regulations, with providers registering in classes according to the classification of the data they handle. The National Cybersecurity Authority has issued the Cloud Cybersecurity Controls (CCC-2:2024), mandatory for government entities, critical national infrastructure and the providers serving them. The Personal Data Protection Law governs transfers of personal data outside the Kingdom through the transfer regulation updated in September 2024, which requires an adequate level of protection or safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or binding corporate rules. In real estate specifically, REGA's 2026 Marketing and Advertising Regulation requires online property platforms to host their servers inside the Kingdom.
The cloud is not automatically secure: the provider protects the infrastructure, while the business is responsible for accounts, permissions and sharing settings. Most cloud leaks come from public sharing links or accounts without multi-factor authentication, not from breaches of the provider.
⚖️ Legal Basis
Cloud providers are regulated by CST's Cloud Computing Services Provisioning Regulations, and the National Cybersecurity Authority's Cloud Cybersecurity Controls (CCC-2:2024) bind government entities, critical national infrastructure and their providers. Transfers of personal data outside the Kingdom are governed by the Personal Data Protection Law (M/19 dated 9/2/1443H) and the Regulation on Personal Data Transfer outside the Kingdom updated in September 2024. The 2026 Real Estate Marketing and Advertising Regulation requires online property platforms to host their servers inside the Kingdom.
💡 Practical Example
A Riyadh office has a 200 GB digital archive of five years of leases, invoices and unit photos. It moves it to a cloud storage service with a data centre inside the Kingdom for SAR 150 a month plus 15% VAT (SAR 22.50), about SAR 2,070 a year. It enables multi-factor authentication on all accounts, blocks public sharing links and splits folders so marketing staff cannot see owners' bank-account files. When an employee's phone is stolen, their access is revoked immediately without losing a single file.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ✗Assuming the cloud is automatically secure and neglecting account and permission settings.
- ✗Sharing lease and ID folders through public links that anyone can open.
- ✗Moving client data to servers outside the Kingdom without observing the transfer regulation's safeguards.
- ✗Hosting a property-advertising platform outside the Kingdom, contrary to the 2026 regulation's platform obligations.
- ✗Having no independent backup or plan to export data when changing provider.
🌍 International Differences
Several jurisdictions restrict cross-border data transfers: the EU requires adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses, Turkey regulates transfers abroad in Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698, and the UAE in Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021. The Saudi framework is multi-layered: provider registration with CST, cloud cybersecurity controls, the data-transfer regulation, and a sector-specific requirement to host property platforms' servers inside the Kingdom.
FAQs
What is cloud storage?▾
It is keeping data and files on servers run by a service provider and accessed over the internet instead of on local devices, with access from anywhere and automatic backup.
May client data be stored on servers outside Saudi Arabia?▾
Yes, subject to the Personal Data Protection Law and the transfer regulation, which require an adequate level of protection or safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
Must property platforms' servers be inside the Kingdom?▾
Yes. The 2026 Marketing and Advertising Regulation requires online property platforms to host their servers inside the Kingdom.
Who regulates cloud providers in Saudi Arabia?▾
The Communications, Space and Technology Commission through the Cloud Computing Services Provisioning Regulations, while the National Cybersecurity Authority issues the Cloud Cybersecurity Controls.
Is cloud storage secure?▾
The provider protects the infrastructure, but account security, permissions and sharing links are the business's responsibility; most leaks result from misconfiguration or accounts without multi-factor authentication.
