Regardless of whether you are a small business or a large corporation, it is important to stay on top of current technology trends to ensure your business and its employees are working efficiently. Not too long ago, businesses had to allocate storage space locally for the servers, and data storage solutions that were required for the business to be able to function. In recent years cloud computing and storage is becoming more affordable and accessible to businesses of all shapes and sizes, allowing the businesses to offer more flexibility to its employees while making the business run more efficiently at the same time.
Information is accessible from anywhere
Before the cloud, employees who had to leave the office to work on a project offsite may have had a hard time accessing all business-related information that was easily accessible when they were in the office. Employees may have saved a file locally to their laptop to work on, with the intention of uploading the changes when they returned to the office. The problem with this approach was that it could cause potential issues, especially when multiple people are working on the same project. Changes could be made and uploaded at a later date, potentially overwriting critical information without the employee even being aware of it. With cloud storage, employees can gain access to company information regardless of where they are. All that is required is an internet connection. This would allow for easy access to important information regardless of whether the employee was on the road or working from home.
Data is kept secure even when the unexpected strikes
Whether it’s a natural disaster, power failure, or computer failure, the thought of losing all your critical business information is one of those things that no business owner ever wants to have to experience. In the past, businesses were required to purchase and install their data solutions locally, and while backups were in place, they could not prevent against unexpected failures that could occur. A hard drive crash, power failure, or worst case a natural disaster that caused serious damage to the office and its contents could put the business at serious risk of losing some or all of their important data in an instant. With cloud storage, these risks are eliminated because the data is stored offsite, allowing it to remain accessible no matter what may happen. The cloud also offers in depth fail proof and disaster recovery plans providing the business with the peace of mind needed to ensure their data will always be safe.
Improved Employee retention with flexible work locations
Not long ago, employees were only granted the ability to work from home in extreme circumstances because their remote location made it difficult for them to stay connected with what was going on in the office. Even with VPN access, employees may not be aware of a last minute meeting for a particular project because they were not in the office to be made aware of it. But with the busy lives that so many employees lead, employers that offer flexibility when it comes to their work location play a huge role when it comes to finding and staying with a particular employer. With the cloud, employees can perform their duties from any location, without missing a second of what is going on in the office because they have access to all the information they need in order to do their job.
Growth potential
No matter how big or small a business is there will be a point in time where the business will outgrow their current data storage solution. Before cloud storage, the business would need to price up upgrades, determine if there was room for the hardware, and if they could afford the added cost and space required to accommodate it. With cloud storage, companies can easily adjust to the ever changing needs of their business quickly and easily
Since the storage solution is no longer onsite, the business only needs to contact the company that is managing their storage solution, and modify the offerings as needed. This could be an increase in overall storage space, or just more space for the data created by a particular application. Regardless of the needs, cloud storage can easy grow and change to meet the businesses needs with little time and effort spent having to be spent by the business
These are just a few of the many ways that businesses are increasing productivity with the use of cloud storage. Whether it is employee retention or the easy access to unlimited growth potential, cloud storage can help increase productivity in ways that the business may have never thought were possible
Richard McMunn, runs the leading career website How2Become. His aim is to help as many people as possible pass the recruitment process they are applying for to secure the job they have always wanted. The site offers a wide range of books and training courses for those who want to ensure they are fully prepared. You can also connect with How2become on YouTube