The Benefits of Cloud Storage You Need To Know

Cloud storage is a model of data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, the physical storage spans multiple servers (and often locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a hosting company. These cloud storage providers are responsible for keeping the data available and accessible, and the physical environment protected and running. People and organizations buy or lease storage capacity from the providers to store user, organization, or application data.
Cloud storage services may be accessed through a co-located cloud computer service, a web service application programming interface (API) or by applications that utilize the API, such as cloud desktop storage, a cloud storage gateway or Web-based content management systems.
             

Examples of Cloud storage companies are Dropbox which though not the first to conceive the idea is the most popular, Bitcasa, Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud, Google Drive, Copy, Degoo, Codero, and Ubuntu to mention a few.
What cloud storage does is provide data storage, data encryption, data re-duplication, desktop apps for different devices, mobile apps for iOS and Androids, the ability to view files without necessarily downloading, folder sharing, and the ability to retrieve or delete files.

For the entrepreneur, what this means is that; your files are safe and protected so that you don’t have to save your personal files and work folders on your discs; you save space to help your devices run faster; and you have insurance on files in case of theft or damaged devices etc.

Have you ever gone for a meeting and forgotten your presentation materials? Has your external hard drive fallen to the ground? Has your flash drive with all your files disappeared without a trace?
Cloud storage will help improve productivity,as you can work on the same document with multiple users across the world on a mobile phone, tablet and desktop. It is interesting however to note that there are more mobile phones than personal computers in Africa.

1. Access your documents – anywhere

Cloud storage enables you to open a document on any of your devices and in any location.  No longer are your documents in the wrong place; providing you have internet access, you have your documents. This universal access gives you the flexibility to work where and when you want. Gone are the days of having to use email to transfer documents between home and work (with the inevitable issues associated with version control).

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2. Work with others – anywhere

The capability allowing multiple people to collaborate and work on a document at the same time is revolutionising how teams work. This new affordance can deliver terrific improvements in efficiency. Typically, writing bids or tender documents can takes weeks to prepare as the document is passed between departments and authors; this can be reduced to a few days when all parties can work on the same document at the same time.

3. Take advantage of unlimited space

The cloud has virtually unlimited storage. Furthermore, services such as Amazon Web Services S3 storage can be set up with policies to control and automate access and archiving. No matter how large your local storage is, it seems to fill up – this isn’t a surprise as we are storing more and more multimedia data in the form of video, image and audio files. From a business efficiency perspective, storing your documents in the cloud removes the need for every user to hold a personal copy of documents, consequently saving disk space, and all users know they have the current version.

4. Enjoy business continuity – and backups that work

Having a copy of documents, systems and software keys backed up onto cloud storage typically costs less than burning it onto a DVD, and makes it all accessible from anywhere on the internet. Making an off-site copy of your data on a daily basis gives you more than a backup; it should be considered the cornerstone of your business continuity planning.
In the event of fire, theft or hardware failure, having your data stored in the cloud could get your business up and running again for the cost of a new computer.

5. Data security is a priority

Storing your data in the cloud introduces a new set of risks, but you can mitigate them using techniques such as data encryption, automation and password devices on your smart phone. The result is that cloud storage typically has a lower risk profile than the server in the back of your office.
Like taxes and growing old, data loss is not a question of if, but when. Data security is about protecting your data from loss, corruption and inappropriate access. Reducing the number of copies of documents, holding them off site and enforcing encryption can only help
6. Usability: All cloud storage services reviewed in this topic have desktop folders for Mac’s and PC’s.
This allows users to drag and drop files between the cloud storage and their local storage.

7. Bandwidth: You can avoid emailing files to individuals and instead send a web link to recipients through your email.

8. Accessibility: Stored files can be accessed from anywhere via Internet connection.

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9. Disaster Recovery:  It is highly recommended that businesses have an emergency backup plan ready in the case of an emergency. Cloud storage can be used as a back‐up plan by businesses by providing a second copy of important files. These files are stored at a remote location and can be accessed through an internet connection.

The days of forgetting flash drives, carrying laptops and bulky external hard drives are over; thanks to cloud storage. It is time to start saving your data in the air. It is cost effective, less time consuming and highly professional. You have an array to choose from and most of them are easy to use, plus you get bonuses for referrals like multi-level marketing. Personally, I vote for Dropbox.