You can get more out of your cloud storage

Cloud technology has revolutionised the way businesses approach data cloud storage – and in turn, the way we all work – with documents, systems, and information available from anywhere, on any device, at any time.

However, with so many services available from dozens of providers, it can be hard to know what to look for when trying to choose between them. Here are some tips to help you find your way.

Integration and simplified workflow

The simplified workflow is a huge benefit of cloud systems. Most businesses use more than one software platform and allowing these apps to talk to each other and be accessed from a central point saves hassle and time.

For example, Google Drive allows for integration with team communication apps such as Beekeeper and Jostle. This empowers staff to share or search files within the app, without having to leave the document they are working on.

Another advantage is the ability to activate messages to notify the user when changes are being made to a document. This can help in seeing its history, always knowing who made which edits, and when.

Syncing and collaboration

Automatic cloud syncing keeps files up to date across platforms and devices, ensuring your team can always access the most up-to-date versions of files, wherever they are. It reduces the potential for error caused by users picking up old versions of documents or failing to see the latest notes or changes from others.

This encourages effective collaboration and helps avoid mistakes which can often be costly for a business.

Staying secure

Your files are safer on the cloud than if you stored them locally. Using regularly updated security systems and account alerts, any new activity – such as sign-ins from unrecognised accounts – will immediately prompt a notification.

Integrating your cloud storage with password management apps ensures employee passwords are kept strong, keeping them safely stored, without the need to remember them all.

Used with an added layer of multi-factor authentication, it makes life very difficult for hackers.

Smarter use of storage

Storage tiering is a strategy that lets you optimise storage to save on costs.

“Classes” or “tiers” are available on many cloud platforms and lower-cost tiers may be a good way to decrease your cloud storage spend.

Data stored on these lower tiers are not always accessible instantaneously, but it can be a cost-effective way of storing archive data that you want to keep but don’t access regularly.

Cloud data lifecycle policies

Did you know that many cloud storage services hold onto files indefinitely?

While keeping deleted files can be helpful in the case you want them back, these files take up valuable space and emptying them out manually can consume time and productivity.

Some cloud storage providers offer lifecycle policies, automatically migrating older data from one storage class to another.

These policies save you money by ensuring that you don’t keep data in higher-cost classes longer than you need it, while still retaining the information for when you need it.

 

At Aura, we provide a variety of cloud solutions, working with your business to establish how suitable the cloud is for you.

To find out more on how we can help, contact info@auratechnology.com.