Data is the lifeblood of most organizations in the digital age. No matter whether it’s contacts, spreadsheets, inventory or anything else, it’s the data from your business sector that drives your decision-making and keeps your business flowing. That data is precious and needs to be stored safely, while being accessible to the people who may need it at any given time.
Globally, online data storage is the way of the future. Research firm IDC reports that revenue was $8.8 billion during the 2nd quarter of 2016. “The decreasing cost of flash media, coupled with increasing use cases, high density deployments, and availability of flash-based storage products, have resulted in rapid adoption throughout the market,” explains Liz Conner of Storage Systems.
With so much riding on your data, it’s vital that companies select the right storage company to work with. A company that understands how their business works and is equipped to meet their needs. But how do you know how to choose? Use these questions as a starting point.
You need to know that your storage company has got the infrastructure to handle your company’s data. If they have any storage restrictions, file limits or bandwidth limitations, then you need to know about them, and you need to know that their system is compatible with yours. There’s nothing worse than working hard to expand your business and being on the verge of shifting to the next level when you discover that your data storage company cannot handle the new load. Project a few years into the future and make sure they’ll be able to keep up with your growth.
Many companies make the mistake of thinking that, just because their data is stored in the cloud, it doesn’t matter where the servers are physically located. That’s a mistake. Find out the actual address of the storage units, find out if there are cameras and a security company protecting the data and if your data is being stored in another country, make sure that the laws around data privacy in that country are not going to trip you up if something goes wrong. And while you’re at it, just make doubly-sure that you still own your data when it’s being stored by someone else.
Most storage companies will be able to safeguard your data when things are going well, but it’s at times of crisis where the real professionals rise to the top. Find out the plans your storage company has in the event of natural disasters, fire, theft and general human error. How long will it be until they can guarantee that your data will be available again? Is the backup data stored in a different location? Do they have a virtual server configured to my specs? Do they have backup electricity supply?
The bottom line is that your company needs to be prepared for the worst case scenario so that you don’t have to be.
The flip side of security is accessibility, and it’s tough to juggle the two aspects successfully. But data is no good if your employees can’t access it on their tablets, laptops and mobile devices when they need to. Global workforces are on duty around the clock, and so the data needs to be always-on, and updated in real-time as it changes.
To sum up, the best business cloud storage solutions should offer you:
Mastermind Backup is one of Canada’s leading cloud storage providers. The company has built its reputation on lightning fast access to data, ultimate privacy and a proven track record with companies in the medical, legal and accounting sectors. With no equipment costs, free setup and a simple, low monthly payment plan, Mastermind Backup offers all the peace of mind and cloud security that you could ask for.
Storage series provided courtesy of Canadian Cloud Backup
By Jeremy Daniel
