Why Cloud and Storage Services are a Perfect Match

The cloud's usability, availability, and simplicity have catapulted it to a permanent service used by industries across the globe. One main reason to use the cloud (among many) is for its storage services.

If you haven't already started using cloud storage services, here is why using them is worth the effort and cost increase.

1. Ease of Use Across Multiple Avenues

It's tedious keeping folders organized on your network. You have to organize them yourself, keep archives in secure places, and save files in the right folder manually. Cloud storage, ensures that your data is safe, and you can easily move folders to archives without searching for storage availability.

2. Increased Bandwidth Capabilities

One of your speed bottlenecks is probably your bandwidth. Transfer speeds for files are only as fast as the bandwidth you have on the network, including switches, server NICs, and the cables you installed. With cloud storage, you can send files across the Internet using your ISP, which usually has more bandwidth than most businesses.

Your files are hosted on the cloud provider servers, which has the top technology for big bandwidth. When you need to move data between servers and storage devices, data transmission is fast. You'll never have bottlenecks due to slow bandwidth using cloud storage.

3. Easily Access Data From Anywhere

Let's say that you decide to move your office from one location to another. You should be sure to carefully move storage and devices. Should a hard drive fail or get damaged during the move, you then need to find backups from all of your equipment.

With cloud storage, you can transfer data from anywhere. If you have access to your network from home, you can perform an emergency transfer of data from a backup to the local network from anywhere in the world. Accessibility and availability are two of the main reasons to get a cloud storage account. 

4. Disaster Recovery Made Simpler

When disaster happens from floods to security breaches everyone panics, from IT people to the CEO. With cloud storage, pulling data from cloud storage and replacing it with what you lost is super easy and infinitely reduces stress for your IT team. It also reduces the time needed to restore data.

Imagine that your business is down and you need to recover quickly using a disaster recovery plan. When you have cloud storage, you just need an Internet connection to download all the data you need. With the cloud, your IT team never needs to figure out where backups are located. If the network is down, no problem, just log in from an alternative ISP and download your files. Cloud storage reduces time and stress during a catastrophic event.

5. Can Save Organizations Time and Money

One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is its cost savings. IT equipment is expensive. To have a fully functional backup solution, you need thousands of dollars in storage and networking equipment. Cloud providers allow you to lease the resources you need, so you only pay for storage when you actually use it, not only if you might need it in the future.

The pay-as-you-go model lets you scale up or down depending on your resource needs. During slower times, you can downgrade and save money.

If you haven't already tried out cloud storage, it's time to take a look at the numerous providers. Some of them, including Amazon Web Services, offer your first month free, so you can try it out before you invest in the architecture. Even if you just try it for a month, you'll see how the cloud and its storage service is right for you.

Explore AWS storage services with Anthony Sequeira's AWS Solutions Architect Storage Services training.