Three Benefits to Storing Data in the Cloud
18. December 2018 | Drooms Global
The cloud allows businesses to store and access information in a way that frees them from certain cost structures and inconveniences associated with on-premise servers. “Simply put, cloud computing is a better way to run your business,” says industry expert Marc Benioff. With this said, the overall value of a cloud strategy may still be determined by organisational specifics and execution on a case-by-case basis. Oracle’s Mark Hurd believes that businesses will continue to find this value. He predicts that “80 percent of enterprises will shut down their data centres by 2025” in favour of cloud services. Here are just a few of the benefits that can be achieved through cloud storage.
Favourable cost structure
One reason businesses are drawn to the cloud stems from its ability to offer potentially lower total cost of ownership and greater return on investment than on-premise solutions. Cloud storage cuts out capital expenditures otherwise experienced when purchasing on-premise options and when making continual investments to maintain them. Many cloud storage services offer pay-as-you-go and monthly subscriptions that allow businesses to purchase only what they need while freeing up cash flows in the present; on-premise options do not.
The cloud also requires fewer in-house labour hours to be spent configuring IT or developing solutions to server problems, because such services are commonly included as part of the product offered by providers. Cloud products can also often deploy more quickly than their on-premise equivalents, saving businesses time, money and effort.
Resiliency
Due to the nature of their infrastructure, cloud apps and services may offer greater availability and less downtime than on-premise solutions, further feeding into the cloud’s ROI proposal. Because cloud platforms allow users to access information remotely with only an internet connection required, data can be stored in different off-site server locations decreasing the chance of outages impacting information-reliant operations. If an issue arises with one server or a particular region experiences an internet outage for example, businesses may communicate with a different one in order to access their information without interruption.
Since many operations nowadays interact with some form of information stored in a database, it’s become increasingly important to minimise downtime when accessing it via a device. Utilising cloud products benefitting from backup capabilities can help to do exactly that.
Security
Security has been a contentious topic of discussion and point of emphasis for businesses but one that seems to increasingly favour the cloud. As web security expert Troy Hunt explains, “On the one hand, you may hand over physical control, but on the other hand, you’re almost certainly doing so to an organisation better-equipped to manage computing environments than your own.”
Private cloud services like Drooms hold security as a top priority and provide documentation of their certifications and compliance demonstrating their ability to protect data. Providers might even utilise blockchain to add additional safeguards to their offerings. Depending on the nature of the service being offered, internal vulnerability scans and safety tests to assess file security may also be included. Arguably, such efforts to encrypt important files via standard business operations are difficult to come by.
This is particularly advantageous for businesses in heavily regulated and risk averse sectors such as corporate finance, legal and real estate where the likes of Google Drive simply don’t cut it. Organisations involved in deal making for example have the responsibility to ensure that confidential information is always up to date and secure prior to and during its exchange.
To further bolster the security measures taken by the provider, it’s important to properly execute a robust cloud strategy with the correct permissions and settings on the user end. After all, Gartner says, “Through 2022, at least 95 percent of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault.”
The cloud’s ability to offer attractive cost structures, security and resiliency through dedicated servers are all benefits available to any business that chooses to hold and store data using this technology. These features add to the existing value of accessibility provided by the cloud and seek to drive further adoption as time goes on.
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