How Does Cloud Storage Work?
Globally, the cloud computing market has exceeded $266 billion, with approximately 85 percent of all businesses using cloud technology to store information. By the end of this year, 94 percent of the entire internet workload will be processed via the cloud, which is why 37 percent of the global IT budget is dedicated to cloud computing. But what exactly is it? You can think of cloud storage as a location-independent option for storing, accessing, and sharing files and data. Rather than storing information on your local devices and servers, everything is managed, maintained, and backed up on remote servers. This makes it extremely convenient and secure. What is cloud storage used for?
5 Advantages of Cloud Storage for Business
The cloud has numerous applications and uses cases. But in terms of meeting basic business needs, it’s an exceptional option for storing data and files. Here are a few advantages of cloud storage:
1. Backups
Backups have always been an annoying and overlooked aspect of data management. Despite knowing that backups are important, employees and managers are renowned for ignoring prompts to follow through. Ultimately, this time-consuming, painstaking nature of backups leads businesses to be under-protected and exposed to unnecessary levels of risk. With cloud storage, backups happen automatically and in real-time. There’s nothing that has to be done on the user side of things. It’s fast, seamless, and reliable—no more backing up to hard drives, flash drives, or other physical devices. Everything happens remotely and securely.
2. Security
In a day and age where a single cyberattack can cost a business millions of dollars, security has never been more important. Thankfully, cloud storage is setting a new standard in the security space. Leading cloud storage solutions, like Box, come equipped with enterprise-grade security. This enables even the smallest businesses with the strictest budgets to enjoy top security without having to pay an outrageous price. All data is secured at a granular level and can be managed with file-by-file access controls. Think of it like this: A decade ago, a single attack on a business could render all of its data vulnerable to the cybercriminal. Today, files can be easily encrypted and “containerized” to limit the severity of an attack and avoid collateral damage.
3. Accessibility
One of the biggest perks of cloud storage is that it’s accessible by anyone, anywhere. Businesses are no longer restricted to specific locations – like the office – to conduct work. Employees can work from home, on an airplane, or halfway around the world. This is all thanks to the way the cloud works. With cloud storage, files aren’t stored on a single device. All a user needs is (1) an internet connection, (2) a device that’s capable of connecting to the internet, and (3) an ID and log in to access the cloud files. With these three pieces in place, location is no longer an integral factor.
4. Scalability
With a traditional technology infrastructure, you have to purchase hardware and solutions with the anticipation of growth. This requires you to pay for more than what you need. Then, if you happen to outgrow the tech stack, you have to buy more equipment. It’s expensive and impractical! With cloud storage, you only pay for what you use. Need more? It’s as simple as increasing your usage and paying the rate.
5. Cost Savings
While we talk a lot about perks like backups, security, accessibility, and scalability, let’s all marvel over the fact that cloud storage is also more cost-effective than traditional alternatives. Moving to the cloud allows businesses to reduce hardware and infrastructure needs, as well as the cost of associated salaries. This can translate into millions of dollars in savings over the years.
Don’t Fall Behind the Curve
Cloud storage is no longer something businesses should consider – it’s something that must be a part of any organization’s IT infrastructure. If you aren’t already on board with cloud computing, you’re behind. And each month that you put off adoption is putting you even more behind the curve. Catch back up today by adopting the cloud and reorganizing your business to account for greater security and scalability. You can share your experience and the advantages of using cloud storage in your business.
