Could your business benefit from secure cloud document storage

Although many businesses are increasingly relying on cloud storage, it’s interesting to speculate on the advantages (and disadvantages) that this form of storage can offer.

Incredible amounts of data are generated by businesses on a daily basis and this means that many organisations have to choose the safest and most cost-effective way. The two main choices on offer are traditional local storage or cloud-based storage. However, choosing the right storage for your business sometimes isn’t as straightforward as it might seem and it’s important to find an option which best suits your individual requirements.

When deciding which is best secure document storage for your business you might like to consider the following:

How much control do you need?

On-premises storage hardware is usually most suited to organisations who want or need a high level of control over their storage, and who would like to maximises the performance of various applications by providing increased support in areas such as file system replication, back up capabilities and data tiering. In addition, on-premises hardware will also provide increased direct management of the security and compliance of your data in comparison to cloud providers who might not offer the level of privacy your organisation needs to comply with specific regulations.

On the other hand, organisations who decide to work with a cloud storage provider will have to comply with the terms and conditions as set out in the service level agreement, meaning that there may be some loss of control for IT professionals. However the benefits of using cloud storage far outweigh those offered by traditional forms of storage; smaller businesses are likely to find that despite their limited budget, the build in data management offered by cloud storage proves highly cost effective, regardless of the service level agreement.

Easy access document storage

One of the biggest influences on whether cloud storage is right for your business is the ability to store and the ease of access it offers. Cloud storage is likely to exceed the benefits of traditional storage as the systems designed to access cloud data don’t usually have just one point of failure which could bring down the whole system. In addition, using cloud storage means that data can be quickly accessed from a number of locations.

Despite the fact that cloud storage can present difficulties in terms of latency, traditional on-premises storage which has been configured to provide high-speed availability is likely to prove to be a costly option.

Cost-effective storage

There’s little doubt that one of the most significant advantages of cloud storage is in terms of potential cost savings. Choosing cloud storage means that it is possible to buy the right amount of storage for your organisation instead of having to invest in costly hardware which comes with a big price tag – not least in terms of the extra costs of storage and power. In addition, cloud storage is designed to grow as your business does, helping you with a smaller initial outlay whilst ensuring you are prepared for future expansion.

Contact Pro-Doc for advice on the best document storage solution for you

Here at Pro-Doc we provide secure document storage solutions for business of all shapes and sizes. If you would like to talk through the options available, or to find out more about cloud storage, why not get in touch with us today?