In a period where data helps shape the world, particularly the business sector, it is important that you are able to secure your business data. Business data can help you understand about the behavior of your customers, both the new and the old.
Say, you want to introduce a product and you want to know the product will be performed in your current your market. With a set of data about the buying behavior of your customers, you will be able to make useful assumptions that could help your product succeed.
According to Marketing Charts, business data can also be used to improve customer experience, increase retention rate of customers, and find a new market. Without a viable data to work on, it would be relatively harder to make sense of the bigger picture. There are various ways on how to collect data and it’s up to you on how you will gather them. As for storing them, you also have plenty of options, which can be in the form of a physical storage device, a written or printed document, or through a cloud storage device.
Why Use Cloud Backup in a Business
Let’s say, for some unforeseeable reason, you lose your data. There was a fire and everything got burned down. All of those folders containing your customers’ orders, client complaint forms and delivery logbooks will be gone. While you were able to have a backup copy in your computer, the entire PC system got burnt, too. There was no way you could salvage anything from the hard drive, so you’re left wondering how to start things over.
Surely, you wouldn’t want to experience such horrendous problem. You can readily avoid this by backing up your data via a cloud storage provider. There’s no physical device used, so you lessen the risk of losing data because you misplaced your external hard drive, or damage your hard drive. Everything is uploaded online and through the available security features that come with most of the cloud storage applications available in the market today, you’re able to limit the access to the file containing the data.
All of these features sound really good, but the biggest question raised by most people about cloud storage for business is whether or not they need to subscribe to such service at all, especially if they are only operating a small or medium enterprise.
Contrary to what most business owners believe about how cloud backup is only for the large enterprises, it is also needed by small businesses. The Var Guy insists that small businesses need a cloud backup because data is a very important asset of any company, no matter how small or big it is and because of a variety of benefits.
Increase Your Company’s Flexibility
Increasing your company’s flexibility can help you manage your business more conveniently, wherever you are in the world. Using a cloud storage application can help you access your files remotely even when you’re not in your office. It is so convenient that you can view spreadsheets containing your monthly financial report and delivery tallies while you’re sitting down the bus or waiting for your flight to another city, without having the need to purchase an additional storage device like an a flash drive or an external hard drive.
Your employees also get to enjoy this benefit, since you can just send a link of the file they need to review. No longer will you need to wait a long time before a folder or a zipped file successfully attaches to your email. All you need to do is to upload the files beforehand and then share the link to your intended recipient.
Say you have a presentation the next day, and you want your employee to double check the graph and the whole presentation file, and you want her to see if the data you have inputted in the slides jives with that of the data you have in the original copy of the database. With cloud storage facilities, you can easily transfer all the pertinent file through giving them a link to the location of the folders. Emails can normally give you around 10 MB for your attachments. If there are too much files, you risk yourself of sending out another batch of email to accommodate the rest of the files that your first email cannot support.
Backup of Important Records in Case of a Disaster
As emphasized earlier, having a backup of important files is a huge factor to ensure the success of your business. Disasters can strike anytime, and by the time you encounter these challenges, it would be best if you have already equipped yourself with the necessary tools to help you pick up the pieces.
Disasters can come in many forms. There are the natural disasters which are very hard to avoid like floods, typhoons, fire, earthquake and the like. According to Simpler Cloud, There’s also the kind of disaster which involves human error, like when your secretary accidentally deletes the files that you need for the board presentation, or when you misplace the document file detailing the latest statistics about the products you have recently introduced in the market. Files could also get erased because of re-installing a particular software.
Improved Collaboration Between Team Members
Needless to say, most cloud storage companies offer applications that are very user friendly, so it’s not that hard to keep everyone up to speed. With proper instruction and training, your employees can easily hop into discussions by providing their own input in the file remotely. They don’t even need to be physically in the office to provide their insights about a file, because once you give them access to file via your cloud storage app, they can work on it immediately in their most convenient method. Cloud backup applications operate in different platforms, so your employees have the choice to make changes via their choice of device and operating system.
Top cloud backup providers provide different kinds of packages that allow you to share your access with a specific number of people. They can either log in to the business account via their chosen devices and download or edit the needed files. As long as they have an internet connection, and they are granted permission, they can access the files and folders of your business, anytime, and anywhere.
Decrease Your Budget for IT Expenses and More
Cloud backup providers design their packages to be extra affordable, so that even small businesses are convinced to subscribe to their services. Some cloud storage companies offer as low as $1 for a given data allocation. You can check cloud storage provider reviews to check on the rates of your selected companies.
Aside from the affordable and competitive rates in the market, using a cloud backup system is great because you don’t need to spend so much money on IT personnels to have your data taken care off. There aren’t any servers or physical devices on your end, since everything things is stored remotely for you. You will only need to familiarize yourself with how things work and then you’re off to enjoy the many benefits of using a cloud backup tool.
More Competitive Approach in Business
According to the statistics of a study conducted about how small businesses use the cloud, most of them use the cloud for backing up their files. Out of 438 small businesses that took part in the study, 40% of them declared that they backup their data via the cloud storages companies. Most of these companies employ around 11 to a thousand people for their day to day operation.
Another fraction of the small business owners who took part in the study said that they use the cloud storage for the ease of access for the files. David Linthicum, who is the senior vice president of the Cloud Technology Partners said that he loves how he is able to immediately respond to his employees queries about a particular task even when he hasn’t arrived in his house yet, because he could readily check things out via the tool.
Over the years more and more businesses are switching to cloud backup systems because they want to enjoy the said benefits. Apart from that, they also want to keep up with their fellow competitors since in most cases; the use of a cloud storage backup tool hastens the processes of a business. Faster delivery of services is equated to happy customers, and happy customers lead to more and more income.
Now that you have been able to look into the top 5 reasons why a small business owner should upgrade with a cloud storage application, how do you feel about getting your own cloud backup system? There is a wide range of companies that can offer you with the most fitting cloud storage data allocation for your business, and you will need to consider a lot of things to help you select the company that can give you the best deal.
If you haven’t made up your mind as to which company you should go with, you can check out our cloud backup provider reviews. These reviews are written by verified customers of the different companies that we have in our listing. Find out which company offers the cheapest deals, and which of them are well loved by fellow businessmen like you.
Trevor Price
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