Cloud storage technology is here to stay, it’s become even more popular and a focal point of technology discussion in recent years. It offers a model of networked enterprise storage that stores data in a virtualized storage environment. Cloud storage offers businesses the option to buy or lease storage capacity from third party hosting companies and data center operators and it’s a great investment that is worth it for any size of business. Ever wonder how cloud connectivity can add value to your business data protection and backup infrastructure? Well it would depend on some factors and matrices like increasing flexibility, reducing costs and streamlining IT operations with business objectives. Here are few good reasons to consider a cloud service for your business:
Security: Is The Cloud Space Safe?
A major concern for most businesses and users who are skeptical about cloud storage revolves around security “how safe is my data with a third party?”. The impression they have is that saving confidential and sensitive information over the internet to the cloud expose such critical data to potential hacker and scammers. While this may be a valid concern it is however not enough reason to stop you from adopting cloud storage technology. Because in the real sense the cloud is more secure than most people believe – even more secure than local onsite backups such as flash drives, external backup disk or even on the business network.
Data security in the cloud involves several layers of security: firstly it offer secure data transfer over the internet which involves encryption using bank-grade software, Your data stored online are also encrypted – meaning only your can access and view the content of your online storage. It provides guaranteed access control which ensures that except you share your password key with someone or you are careless with it, there is no way an unauthorized party can have access to it. Data stored in the cloud are carefully structured using data separation logic and architecture. Secure software interface ensures that when you interact with your cloud space through your computer or Smartphone, the safety of your date remains intact, this secure APIs guaranty confidentiality, integrity, availability, and accountability. Beside the depth of network and specialized security infrastructures and internet security software with ongoing maintenance which ordinarily wouldn’t be within budget even for a big enterprise, this is a big plus to keep threat off your online space.
If you already shop online, book flight ticket, use online banking, buy music from iTunes or books from iStore, send sensitive information and confidential business communications through hosted emails or share information on social media – The odds are you are already in the cloud. So now you know, your cloud service offers greater data security than you are already expose to using the traditional storage methods.
Data Maintenance
Data storage in the cloud offers the best warehousing functionalities helping end users to solve two major challenges – data accessibility across platforms and multiple devices. The second challenge solved by cloud storage is file organizational structure – helping user to organize and display information using the most suitable method for the media type.
Enhance search functionality: Most successful cloud solutions present advance functionalities and powerful search algorithms that help you retrieve data faster and more intuitively than you would get with your local storage devices. File organization is essential for a wholesome end users experience, but has remained a big challenge – search functions are not in their best shape at the moment on your computers, retrieving a file is very slow and hard, poorly displayed and organized without any smart application. With cloud storage, there are smart applications that help you auto-organize and display your files in a very neat timeline format using timestamp as well as offering predictive search ability for increased usability and accessibility.
Better File Organization: Cloud storage has and still is revolutionizing the way we will organize the structure of data by reducing the need for the human-made structure that currently exists. In actual sense we do not need the folder layer to store data on the computer but due to problems of organizing files and ensuring that it will be easy to retrieve when we need them that is why folders are used to some sort of categorize them. Yet this process is very tedious especially when we have to create, manage, regularly update and organize many folders and subfolders. Sometimes files are even best orphaned than being saved in a folder.
Unlike your local storage, information stored in the cloud space is centralized in one location and you can access them from any device and any location at any time. The only restriction is you must have the authorized login details to gain access.
Unlimited Space
Having a space you can control without the associated cost is one of the many advantages of cloud storage unlike the physical backup it offers a flexible and expandable storage. You don’t have to buy a new backup disk when you use up the space; you simply upgrade to expand your space. This scalability is also very cost effective and help you maintain a well structured back up.
Remote Accessibility & 24/7 Availability
A critical consideration to use a cloud service is the remote accessibility that allows you to access your data remotely from any part of the world, any time and in most cases from any device using the internet. This one single feature makes cloud storage a must have productive business tool for all sizes of business. This guaranty that your data is available at all times (24/7) and adds to the credibility and serviceability of your business with secure access control. It’s a better alternative to carrying external disk or computer around and reduces your data exposure to threat of theft, lose, corruption, damage and unauthorized access.
Cost Saving
Cloud service providers offers you a real value for money spent while taking the burden of maintenance, infrastructure cost, utility and risk off your business. With cloud service, you have a single source virtual space to manage all your data storage needs including all future expenditure planning which usually grows on annual basis. Now you only have just one invoice to pay for just what you need, even though the real value of the service will increase yearly – your budget will remain the same until you need more space.
Easy Collaboration
Most businesses I have dealt with typically have the same complains about productivity and employee performance which often includes redundancy and work flow management. Cloud storage is a very useful collaboration tool that enables employees to optimize work process by allowing more people or groups to work together on a project to save time and eliminates redundancy. The main benefit of collaboration when using cloud storage is the reduction in logistic and time to get work done which invariably improves productivity and employee performance.
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