Small businesses face a tough decision when it comes to storing digital data. There is always the option of setting up in-house servers to store online files, but those can be very expensive to setup and maintain. In addition, physical servers take up a lot of space.
For these reasons, small businesses are turning their attention to the cloud. With cloud storage, a small business would have all its files stored digitally, eliminating the need for any physical data server setup. But what are some other benefits of cloud storage for businesses?
-
Remote Work is Easier
Modern companies have employees all around the world. Even small businesses will hire part-time and freelance operators in different cities or countries. Being able to store data online means that employees can work from anywhere they can access the internet.
When a company has physical servers, or an in-house network, remote employees do not have many options for connectivity. They must rely on methods such as email or Skype to coordinate with team members, as they cannot access the company network or servers remotely.
But online storage takes care of those problems. Everything is set up on the cloud, which makes life so much easier for remote employees. All they need is the necessary information to get into the company systems, and they are all set.
-
Server Maintenance is Eliminated
Running servers is a lot more expensive than people assume. Aside from the startup cost, maintaining servers costs a lot of money. Companies end up spending between $5,000 to $15,000 a year on server maintenance – with the costs divided up between equipment and personnel. In contrast, the price of a quality cloud storage solution would be a fraction of that amount.
-
Data is Safer
With the right combination of online and offline storage, companies can ensure a low-cost method of keeping their files 100 percent secure. Most small businesses will combine their online storage solution with a once-a-month offline storage plan.
The offline storage can be done using hard drives if an affordable solution is needed. The idea is to have a backup to the online data, in case it ever gets corrupted or lost. But in 99 percent of cases, the offline backup is never touched, as the online solution offers excellent reliability.
Cloud storage is also a better way to protect company data against cyberattacks. Instead of constantly being in fear of a cyberattack, and having to upgrade data security systems, small businesses can allow their cloud storage provider to deal with that hassle. The top cloud storage providers have excellent security measures that are constantly upgraded to deal with new threats.
-
Data Analysis is Easier
With so much company data being stored on the cloud, it is easier for small businesses to perform analysis on the data they are receiving. For instance, a small business may have kept fewer records of customer interactions in the past. They wanted to minimize the load on their physical servers.
Now they are on the cloud, which means they can store as much data as necessary. And when so much data is being collected from customer interactions, marketing campaigns, employee performance and more – the analysis of this data has greater depth and insight.
-
Disaster Recovery
Everyone has heard the stories of businesses that lost all their data because of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, flood, earthquake or tornado. If your data is located on the cloud, a natural disaster would not have any impact on the security of your data. That could be the difference between needing a few weeks to get back on your feet, or a few months.
