If your business wants to move to cloud-based storage, you might feel the pull of that buzz in your ear that everyone’s doing it but may also grapple with how to take the plunge without disrupting your business. Many business owners also fear the unknown-but a savvy tech pro u can help you tackle all these demons while seamlessly adopting cloud-based storage. A better understanding of the five major benefits of moving to the cloud can help.
You’re Using the Cloud (Whether You Know It or Not)
The cloud is no longer theoretical or something you have a choice about using (in many respects). Everything online-from YouTube to Dropbox (which thrust the cloud into mainstream awareness) and all platforms in between-are cloud-based. Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a brief history of cloud computing here.
The upshot is that you’re already using the cloud, and now is a good time to explore how cloud-based storage might be the ticket for your business.
How the Cloud Works (in a Nutshell)
The cloud is a vastly complex computing marvel, but the basics include:
- You upload your files to the cloud storage service you’re using.
- The cloud storage service saves your files on a remote computer called a server.
- You now can access your data (from these servers) from any electronic device and anywhere in the world.
And voilà, you’re using cloud-based storage-with all the benefits it has to offer.
One: Backing that Data Up
Computer hardware-and software-can go south (usually when it is inconvenient). In addition to the inconvenience and cost, the breakdown can destroy some or all of the data your employees worked on-for good.
Restoration services tend to be pricey, time-consuming fixes that may or may not work. When your employees work remotely, which is all too relevant in our post-pandemic reality-there is also the risk of losing a work laptop or electronic device (and all the work it stored).
Cloud storage to the rescue. With cloud-based storage on your side, you can rest assured that your data is not only safe but also easily accessible. Further, cloud storage services generally maintain multiple file versions and are well prepared for recovery in disaster situations.
Two: Keeping Things Portable
Laptops revolutionized convenient computing, and external hard drives and USB sticks took things to the next level. When cloud-based storage hit the scene, however, the game changed. Now, if you have access to a phone or tablet to log into your cloud account, you have all your data at your fingertips (without having to lug around anything). This level of convenience, reliability, and mobility is difficult to argue with.
Three: Sharing Files with Ease
Your employees do not work in a vacuum, and they are most productive when they can easily connect and collaborate, which cloud-based storage is all about. With cloud storage, your employees can cut out the middleman and share directly-without the need to upload to a file transfer service or to even shoot one another emails.
Your employees can share the work they’re collaborating on in real-time without the pesky threat of having more than one version of the same file, which is often the springboard for decreased productivity. When you update a file on your cloud-based storage, the file in question looks the same to every employee who accesses it-regardless of where they are or what kind of device they’re using (no one needs to manually copy or update anything).
Four: Working from Home (or Anywhere, Really)
Back in 2020, when the world shifted, most of us had to drop everything in response to Covid and somehow work from home-regardless of how well prepared (or not) we were to do so, it was a wake-up call of the highest order.
Businesses no longer have the luxury of not being agile, and even if your employees don’t work from home, the fact is that your business needs to be ready for the possibility of allowing them to work remotely.
Without remote access to their files, which cloud-based storage is so good at providing, you tie your employees’ hands regarding effective and efficient remote work.
When employees have to run into the office to access files, they're not really working remotely. And when employees have to dedicate serious chunks of time to access data online, productivity plummets. The cloud-with its sync technology-offers a seamless approach that allows your employees to work remotely as effectively as they do on-site, which benefits the entire business.
Five: Powerfully Encrypting
Business owners-like everyone else-have a healthy fear of the unknown, and this spills onto their concerns about cloud-based storage. If you're like most people, the cloud is basically magic that you either trust or don't.
Cloud-based storage services, however, offer continually updated, powerful encryption. You might opt for private encryption, which means only the business owner holds the encryption key for the business's data (the service provider can't access it).
Because cybercrime is not going away anytime soon, cloud-based storage services offer a lifetime of storage with solid encryption that never rests.
Consult with a Knowledgeable Tech Pro about Cloud-Based Storage Today
If you are on the fence about cloud-based technology, it's time to consult a skilled tech professional.
Your company runs on technology, and because technology is always on the move, you can't afford not to keep up-it's bad for business, your bottom line, and employee satisfaction (which is directly related to productivity). Converting to cloud storage isn't as daunting as you may think, and a seasoned tech pro can help.
