Previously, we briefly touched on the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage and in this post, we’ll go more in depth on the pros and cons of cloud storage if you’re planning to use it for your business. Businesses and organizations of all types and sizes are moving to the cloud and taking advantage of what the cloud has to offer, but it isn’t all positives. The first step you want to take before moving your business to the cloud is understanding all the pros and cons of using cloud storage. This way, not only will your business be better prepared for the migration, you’ll know what to look out for when it comes to excess fees.
The Pros of Cloud Storage
1. Accessibility
One of the biggest benefits of cloud storage is having your data accessible from nearly anywhere, depending on the type of cloud storage you’re using. It’s one of the main reasons cloud storage has become so popular in recent years, as more and more companies become global and employ remote workforces. Cloud storage makes collaborative work easy, allowing employees to login and access data regardless of their location.
2. Cost-effective
Generally, cloud storage is more cost-effective in the long term when compared to paying for software updates and licenses. More importantly, cloud storage means not having to invest in server infrastructure and other related hardware, which can get quite costly depending on your business’s needs. Also, your organization won’t need to employ personnel to manage the hardware. Although cloud storage does have a variety of fees, in many scenarios it can be more affordable than having in-house data storage.
3. Disaster recovery
You may have already experienced this in the past, but hardware failure is not only catastrophic but it can also be really expensive to recover your data. While hard drive failure can still occur with cloud storage, it can be easier to configure a global backup solution when all of your data is in one standard location. Many cloud backup solutions are available, and some vendors provide them as part of their service package.
4. Scalability
Your cloud storage costs are directly related to your usage, meaning you only pay for what you need. This is advantageous for any business, especially when most cloud storage providers can increase the amount of storage you require very quickly, so you can scale accordingly. If your business is growing and you need more storage, your provider has it ready. You don’t have to preemptively pay for something you might use in the future, as is usually the case with in-house hardware. The opposite is true as well, if you need to scale back and cut costs, you can reduce the amount of cloud storage you need and pay less each month.
5. Automated backups
We briefly mentioned this under disaster recovery, but another big benefit to cloud storage are automated backups. Nearly all reputable storage providers offer some type of automated backup solution that you don’t have to handle yourself. That means never having to schedule backups with your employees, as it’ll all be handled without your involvement.
The Cons of Cloud Storage
1. Requires an internet connection
Since all your data is going to be in the cloud, you’ll need an internet connection in order to access it. That means if your place of business experiences an outage with its internet service provider, your company won’t be able to access any of the data stored in the cloud. Also, if your internet service is slow, accessing your data will also be slow. It’s something to consider if you or your employees are often traveling and relying on other ISPs that may not have the same level of service you are used to.
2. Privacy and security
When you’re storing your data in the cloud, that means it is physically not on your premises. It’s putting your data in the hands of a third-party company and you must trust that it will keep it private and secure. Unfortunately there are more than enough headlines these days of data breaches and leaks. Before you decide to store extremely sensitive data in the cloud, ensure that you’re choosing the right type of cloud storage and you can trust your provider to keep that data secure.
3. Switching providers
Often overlooked, it can become very costly to migrate your data from one cloud storage provider to another. Moving your data out of the cloud incurs what are called egress fees, which can add up to become a substantial amount. Before you choose a cloud storage provider and migrate your data to it, you’ll want to be sure it’s the provider you’ll stick with for a long period of time. You don’t want to be locked into a provider that you plan on switching from in a couple years, since it can be both difficult and expensive to migrate your data to another service.
4. Lack of full control
Unlike having your own data servers and in-house hardware, using cloud storage means you won’t have total control over the setup. For large businesses with complex data needs, offsite storage may cause some issues. For situations like this, it’s recommended to find a cloud storage provider that offer customized plans or options to have more control over the data.
Although it’s very rare, your cloud storage provider could experience an outage, which means you aren’t able to access any of your data. No cloud storage provider guarantees 100-percent uptime and if an outage does occur, it’s entirely out of your hands.
5. Fixed contracts and hidden costs
Before committing to any cloud storage provider, you’ll want to make sure you aren’t locked into a fixed, long-term contract. Some providers will also work to get your business to spend more on cloud storage each year. Pay close attention to all the potential hidden costs, such as egress fees, before choosing your provider.
Save Money on Cloud Storage
Are you interested in taking the first steps of moving your business to the cloud? WindRate can help you save through its partners. You’ll get the same cloud storage but at a reduced rate through a managed service provider (MSP). Simply fill out this form and you’ll receive quotes within hours. You get to choose who to respond to and when. Best of all, it takes less than a minute and it’s free! WindRate customers have saved up to 70 percent on cloud storage costs.