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Understanding Cloud Storage
In this segment of my “Cloud” discussion, I’d like to
explore the recent growth in businesses utilizing the “Cloud” for their storage
needs……
In past years, businesses would purchase servers and
maintain them at their business locations.
IT staffs were responsible for maintaining the servers, constantly
updating storage capacity and maintaining adequate bandwidth for the business’
customers to access the information.
Sounds simple? Well, it worked
OK, but not great.
IT staffs needed to order new equipment to add storage
capacity. This came with lag time in
getting the equipment and the added capital expense (CAPEX) of buying the
additional equipment. Throw in the need
for additional network bandwidth and the time to have it installed, we’re now
looking at a significant time period before a new program or offering could be
implemented.
There were other detriments to this approach….. Disaster recovery. Take the recent super storm Sandy. It knocked out businesses all along the
eastern US seaboard. Many companies were
unable to open their doors for weeks, resulting in unknown loss of
business. If you’re an auto parts store
in NJ, when a loyal customer calls from California looking for the custom part
they always get from you, and no one is available to take their order and
fulfill the shipment, do they wait for you?
Nope, they feel sorry for your situation, but they call your competition
whose business remained open and get the part.
You might or might not ever get that customer back! Think about it, what is the value of a lost
Customer?
How can all of this be avoided? The latest advances in technology have
created an opportunity for small and mid-sized businesses to improve their IT
solutions. “Cloud Storage” enables a
business to take advantage of virtually unlimited storage capacity, unlimited
bandwidth, disaster recovery, and data backup.
All in a one-stop location, and at VERY reasonable prices. By determining the size number of CPU’s,
amount of RAM, size of required storage, and amount of bandwidth, companies can
easily and quickly upload their IT needs to a cloud provider and free up both
CAPEX dollars and their IT staff’s time.
Today’s cloud providers have large data centers throughout
the United States, providing inherent redundancy for a business’ vital
data. Gone is the lag time to add
storage or bandwidth. Additional storage
or access can often be added in minutes from a computer terminal through the
cloud provider’s portal. Imagine adding
100Mb of additional bandwidth for your new promotional video in a matter of
minutes. Using the outdated method of
self-hosting, this could take 60-90 days and involve substantial upfront build
out costs.
The use of a “Cloud Storage” solution makes sense for every
business. No longer does a business have
to maintain equipment rooms, back-up generators, off-site storage for
retention, etc. The cloud solutions
solve all the problems, and help a business focus on what they do
best….improving profitability.
The advantages of entering the “Cloud” are vast. A business can upload any number of hundreds
of supported platforms for use on the “Cloud”, including Microsoft Office,
Exchange, Lotus, Salesforce, VMware, etc.
The cloud package can be customized and/or the business owner can choose
from a pre-packaged option. Monthly
costs can start at under $100. A very
small price to pay for peace-of-mind and an upgraded IT solutuion.
I’m always happy to help explain any of my topics….to get
more information on available cloud offerings, please contact me either via
email at dave@davehanron.com or via
Twitter @DaveHanron
