Customers should be wary of cloud storage services, thoroughly research vendors and carry out detailed planning plan says research firm Gartner.

Gartner has warned users to be aware of the hidden costs of cloud storage and the range of varying services and expertise provided by different suppliers.

Gartner has warned that storage providers also differentiate wildly on security, reliability and support and that while cloud is now a viable enterprise storage alternative to on-site, customers must be careful to consider the risks.