Most companies these days use computers a great deal when running their operations. Being able to safely store essential business data is very important, as data loss can hinder any company from running at peak efficiency.
Cloud computing technology is a relatively recent development that allows computer system resources, computer power, and most importantly, storage, to be supplied across the internet. Cloud storage has a number of key advantages over the traditional method of physical office-based hard drives.
Advantages
Affordability
Backing up your business’s vital data doesn’t have to be pricey; in fact, without the initial expense of purchasing a dedicated physical storage device, storing your data on the cloud is affordable as it’s usually done on a monthly basis.
Access
Are you often on the move when conducting business? Do your employees regularly work from home? By storing your data in the cloud, you and your workers can access that vital file or crucial spreadsheet whether you’re travelling on the train to a meeting, conducting a presentation to customers, or propped up in bed doing a bit of work while ill. As long as you have access to the internet via a computer or smartphone, your office size has effectively expanded from 1000 sq feet to 196,940,000 square miles.
Off-site
Whether your office is in a high crime area or somewhere at risk of flooding, there’s always that chance that your data could be damaged or destroyed. Similarly, in the hustle and bustle of moving offices or in the event of a worker accidentally erasing a hard drive, having your information stored solely on a physical device makes it vulnerable. By keeping a copy of your data off-site can ensure that your company will never be up the creek without a paddle.
Scale up on demand
If you’ve just started a new business or think that you may expand your company in the near future, choosing the cloud for storage makes a lot of sense. Scalability in cloud server hosting gives you the flexibility to pay for more storage whenever you need it, without being restricted by having to wastefully buy more physical hardware. To stay competitive in an uncertain market, companies big and small have to be adaptable and agile enough to increase their storage ability quickly and affordably.
What’s the difference between cloud storage and cloud backup?
Cloud storage is a method that stores data on the cloud rather than a physical on-site hard drive. How cloud backup differs from cloud storage is that it’s specifically designed to restore data in the event of data loss. Basically put, cloud backup offers a peace of mind that cloud storage doesn’t.
Automatic
With normal cloud storage such as One drive or Dropbox, you have to remember to manually select the files that you wish to store on the cloud. With cloud backup, also called online backup, the service works by automatically saving and syncing the precious data that’s stored on your computer.
Simplicity
Cloud backup services are simple; with just a few clicks of a mouse button, lost data can be found and restored. Management is easy and you’ll never have to worry about you or your employee remembering to upload any data manually.
Data security
Cloud storage companies aim to provide an easy and cheap method of storing your data. Cloud backup providers on the other hand, prioritise keeping your data secure. By encrypting your data during transfer as well as storage, cloud backup companies protect your information to a much higher standard when compared to cloud storage, which only encrypts the data on the server side.
Cloud Backup from Fasthosts offers something called file versioning. This means that if your computer gets infected by malware, you can recover an earlier uninfected version at a time when your computer was in optimum health.
Time
If you run a business, you are doubtlessly aware that time usually equals money. The difference between a minute and a day is massive when the time is being used to acquire customers or sell a product or service. With cloud backup, your data is always ready and primed to be used regardless of any ongoing issue.
Multiplatform support
A modern business doesn’t usually just run off a single big computer back at HQ; multiple laptops, tablets and smartphones are used by many employees throughout the office and beyond. If you’re looking to the cloud for flexible and affordable storage backup, the Fasthosts Cloud Backup package can cover all of these different business cases and devices.
